Villain of Tomorrow
by Farelyn
Summary: Izuku Midoriya was born without a quirk. Berated for being worthless, and told that his childhood dream of becoming a hero was futile. Tossed away, abandoned by everyone he knew. The one moment that led up to his downfall, changed him forever. !VillainDekuAu
1. Chapter 1: Reality

**Disclaimer: I do not own Boku No Hero Academia.**

"Beat it twerp," Katsuki shouted as he passed by Izuku Midoriya at the schoolgrounds. "Or else I am going to beat your quirkless ass."

Izuku stumbled back in fright and covered his face, expecting Katsuki to hit him. As seconds passed nothing happened, and he slightly opened his eyes to reveal that he was the only one left beside the gate.

"Great, right in the morning I have to deal with this," Izuku muttered. He grabbed his bag around tighter and glanced at the sky with hopelessness.

Izuku looked down and saw Katsuki and his group of friends laugh at what he assumed was him. He regained his composure and thought to himself, "_One day I'll prove to him that I can be a hero too._"

Izuku once considered Katsuki his friend, a time when both admired the one true hero, All Might, who would save the day without raising a finger. After everyone's quirks developed in childhood and Izuku was left behind, their relationship changed for the worst. Gradually it went from name calling, to segregation, and finally physical abuse. Izuku was a timid boy and was afraid of losing the one friend he ever had. But as time passed, he wished that he would be left alone.

The sun continued to rise, gradually hitting Izuku's face. As he made it into the building, he heard the school bell ring. Izuku's eyes rose up, as he realized that he was late for class.

In the classroom the teacher stood up beside the chalkboard with an attendance sheet, "Ok kids, before—"

"Teacher, we're not five years old," interrupted one of the students. He put his feet on the table, challenging the teacher to make a move.

Another student was about to speak up before a large thud was made from the classroom door. Everyone turned their heads to see the commotion and saw a panting Izuku that looked like as if he ran an entire marathon.

"You're late Midoriya, not the best way to start your third year," said the teacher, noting down his tardiness.

"Uh, I'm sorry teacher I didn't mean to," Izuku said while facing down in order to avoid all the glances his classmates gave him.

The teacher looked at Izuku with disapproval and then faced towards the class. "There's only one seat left, sit down so we can start class."

Izuku quickly nodded and awkwardly shuffled his way in between the desks. He put down his bag and sat down, hoping to be spared of the embarrassment.

"Apart from him being quirkless, he's also negligent about school. How useless is he?" whispered one of the students, just loud enough for Izuku to hear.

Izuku suddenly felt a small impact from the back of his chair. He looked back and saw Katsuki gesture towards him. Izuku swallowed through his throat and wished he would die. "Guess we're having fun all year long Deku," said Katsuki with a grin.

"That's enough talking all of you, we're already behind schedule," announced the teacher. "Now since it's the first day of class I'll forgive your behaviour but remember that this year you will be applying for the high school of your choice."

Some of the students cheered. "I know that most of you want to become heroes, and some have even proclaimed that they will be applying for U.A Academy." The teacher looked towards Katsuki and gave him a small nod. "However, there are also those that need to set realistic goals and not apply to U.A."

Izuku froze, in the summer he was sent a paper from the school asking him what his future plans were. But he did not assume that the teacher would make it public. He slowly looked around the class and noticed that everyone was looking at him again. Before he could speak up, the entire class erupted in laughter.

"Him? Midoriya become a hero?" asked one girl to his left. She covered her face with pity.

"He's a quirkless nobody, and he wants to get into U.A?" said another student.

The teacher let the class laugh for a few more seconds, after which he demanded silence. A tiny smirk was still seen from his face.

Izuku felt defeated, his legs shook, and tears slowly formed up in his eyes. He gripped his hands and he felt the death stares that Katsuki was giving him. He knew that he wasn't getting off lightly after school.

* * *

Afternoon had long past with the final class bells ringing. Izuku quickly rose up from his chair and made a sprint from the classroom. As he exited the back of the school, he could hear Katsuki shouting behind him. "Get back here Deku, you quirkless little shit!"

Izuku was terrified, with his only option being to run as fast as his legs could take him. He set his sights at the school exit and made a sharp turn, barely dodging Katsuki that used his explosion quirk to speed himself up.

"W-Wait, Kacchan please think about what you are doing!" yelled Izuku.

Katsuki ignored his pleas, "I don't give a shit, and I'm going to break your nose for calling me that."

Izuku continued to run for his life, but his body could not keep up any longer. He turned his head to look at the distance between them, only to see Katsuki land a kick on his face. The blow caused Izuku to tumble several feet before hitting a concrete wall in a park playground.

Izuku's vision was blurry from the blood dripping down his forehead. He began to breathe heavily and felt a sharp pain in his chest. His voice left him, unable to scream for help as he could see Katsuki gradually approach him.

"God damn bastard, thinking you'd get away from me," Katsuki said with an annoyed look. "There's no one around here to save you Deku and I swear I'll make it painful." He cracked his knuckles while facing down towards Izuku.

"S-stop... Kacchan, I-I'm sorry!" cried out Izuku. He wanted it to be over, he could no longer tolerate the pain and misery he had to face every day.

Katsuki swung a large kick into Izuku's stomach. "Huh?" he asked. "I thought I told you already not to call me that."

Izuku gasped for air. He grabbed his stomach in pain and his head fell onto the ground.

Katsuki knelt and grabbed Izuku's green hair, slowly bringing up his face to his own. "You want to get into U.A?" he asked with a serious tone. "I thought I made it clear that I will be the first and only person from this school to get in there. Are you trying to make fun of me?"

Izuku felt cold. Shivering in fear, he was not able to answer him. Izuku's face had swelled up from the initial kick Katsuki gave him. He could no longer feel his body move, yet everything hurt.

"Answer me! Are you stupid?" Katsuki shouted. He looked at his former friend and removed his grip. Katsuki turned to his left and saw a notebook protruding out of Izuku's backpack. For a moment he felt that he went too far until he saw its title. He grabbed the book and scanned through the first few pages.

"What the hell is this?" Katsuki said. "You must be kidding me."

Izuku barely understood what Katsuki meant, he was not able to see or hear properly. He attempted to get up, but his arms failed to move. No matter how hard he tried, his strength failed him. "_I really am useless, aren't I?_" Izuku thought. "_Just because I have no quirk._"

"Hero analysis for the future," Katsuki read. "You think a quirkless reject like you can compete with anyone?"

Izuku remained on the ground. He was afraid, afraid that he would die.

"Wake up Deku, it's no time to be asleep," said Katsuki. He picked up Izuku once more and began to lightly tap his face. Izuku woke up from his daze and screamed at the sight of Katsuki. He crawled back up against the wall where he was first thrown at.

"Jeez," said Katsuki as he cleared his ear with his finger. "Finally back to your senses?"

Izuku saw Katsuki get closer from the corner of his eye. The day had grown darker with the sun slowly moving down. He could hear once again the branches that stirred gently in the wind, scratching at one another. Izuku opened his mouth to plead with Katsuki one last time, and the words seemed to freeze in his throat. He looked at the notebook that Katsuki held, the one and only medium for where he felt he could express his ideas and love for the hero world.

Katsuki noticed Izuku's sight and a large grin formed on his face. "That gives me a great idea Deku." Katsuki pointed to the notebook. "For a quirkless piece of shit like you, this thing is useless."

"Give it back!" Izuku shouted, finally being able to speak. He attempted to grab it but Katsuki was quicker on the draw.

"You wish," said Katsuki. He stood up and placed the notebook between his hands. "Rather I think it deserves something better." Izuku's eyes widened in horror as he witnessed Katsuki explode it. Small pieces of burnt paper fell to the ground, leaving almost nothing recognizable.

"There, much better," Katsuki said. He stomped on the remaining pieces that were still burning.

Izuku could no longer hold it in, the anger that dwelled inside him had risen to the point where it overtook all of his emotions. He yelled and attempted to swing at Katsuki several times with his fist, missing completely.

"That's the spirit, but who said you can hit me?" Katsuki asked mockingly. Before Izuku could respond, Katsuki placed his hand over his face and caused a small explosion.

"Just a little goodbye present for you," Katsuki sneered as he lifted his hand. The blast caused Izuku to lose consciousness, his lifeless body lay on the ground.

* * *

Izuku begun to hear a deafening sound that grew louder and louder. "Where Am I?" he thought. His vision was black, and as time passed, he slowly began to see again. The sound he heard earlier was rain pouring down on him as he lay in the playground. He looked at the cloud filled sky, he wasn't sure if the tears that passed down his cheeks were from him.

"_Why even bother trying to become a hero?_" Izuku asked to himself as he clutched his chest. "_What did I do to deserve this?_"

Izuku tried to stand up several times, hitting the wet muddy ground. "Work legs, damn it work!" Izuku shouted in grief. He punched his legs several times before giving up and shifting his head downward. His belongings lay beside him, destroyed either from Katsuki or the rain.

Izuku began to laugh slightly, placing his hands on his face. The mix of emotions confused him, it reminded him of the time when he first learned as a kid that he would never get a quirk.

Seconds passed as Izuku calmed down, he pulled away from his hands and noticed that there was blood. He quickly reached over to his backpack and removed a cloth to dry his face. He attempted once again to stand up, this time successful.

"I got to get back home, Mom must be worried sick by now," muttered Izuku underneath his breath. His knees shook as he bent down to grab his bag. Izuku completely ignored how beat up he was.

"What time is it?"

Izuku looked over at his watch with slanted eyes. It read 10:37 PM. "_Mom is definitely going to kill me,_" Izuku thought. "_How am I going to explain this?_"

Izuku stumbled across the playground. He made his way across the street hoping no one would see him in his state. He grabbed the wall across him, making sure that he did not fall again. His head was still dizzy from earlier, he felt as if time slowed down drastically.

"What do we have here?" asked a voice. "People like you shouldn't be walking outside at this time." Izuku turned to the direction of the voice but was unable to discern who it was.

"A little on the slow side?" the figure stepped towards Izuku. "Well, that doesn't matter to me anyways."

Izuku looked up once more. The figure was indiscernible, and he could not make out its features. Before he could ask any questions, the shadow was gone.

Izuku jumped out of fear until a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"What's wrong young man? You shouldn't be walking around this late at night," said a familiar voice.

"I know," Izuku said. He stood up carefully while still in shock from what happened.

"Are you injured? Are you ok?" asked the man.

"Yeah I tripped earlier and hit my face pretty hard," Izuku lied as he turned around. In front of him stood the man he admired since as early as he could remember, All Might, the hero of heroes. Izuku's mouth opened wide and the fan inside of him took over.

"Oh my god, All Might… Is that really you? Holy… Aaaaahhhh. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Izuku said while shaking his hands up and down.

All Might looked flustered. "Oh, you are a fan of me?" he asked.

"Holy cow yes! I watched all of your specials and got all the special edition mini-figurines," Izuku exclaimed with excitement. He never expected All Might to show up out of nowhere, and at the time when he needed him the most.

"Well it's great to hear that you are ok young man," All Might said. "In that case I must head off, patrolling the streets and all that. Make sure to get home quickly." Before he could take off, he was interrupted by an unexpected shout.

"All Might," Izuku faced towards him. He knew he would never get to ask if he didn't do it now. "Even if I don't have a quirk, can I become a hero?" His feet trembled with nervousness. "Can even someone without a quirk be like you?"

All Might looked at the boy. "Heroes are always risking their lives for others. I cannot simply say that you can become a hero even without a quirk."

"I-I see..." Izuku stared at All Might, he could barely let out a voice.

"If you want to help others, then you could become a police officer," All Might said calmly. "Regardless of how others view them, it's still a respectable occupation."

"It's not bad to dream, but you also have to consider what is realistic."

All Might leapt into the air, leaving him alone in the street. Izuku continued to face the direction his hero stood a few moments ago. Unable to understand the conversation he had. Izuku faced back and walked home slowly.

* * *

In the Midoriya household, the main entrance creaked open. Inko Midoriya rushed over and greeted her son.

"It's almost Midnight, I've been worried sick," Inko said. She followed her disoriented son through the hallway, "Where have you been Izuku and what are these bruises?"

"I uhm, kind of fell down when I was walking home and some elderly couple insisted, I go to the hospital," Izuku said while shifting his eyes away from his mother.

Inko was worried he was lying to run away from his problems, but she was glad to see him safe. "Then why did the hospital not call me?"

Izuku stared at the floor. "They said it wasn't anything serious, so they let me go after doing some checkups."

"Well alright then, but make sure to be careful Izuku. You know I love you, so talk to me if anything is on your mind." Inko said with a warm look. "I see your backpack got ruined from the weather, I'll go ahead and wash it for you. Go get some rest."

"Sure thing mom, night," Izuku said.

Izuku closed the door to his room and sat on his bed. His body hurt and it was difficult for him to move even then. He looked at all the All Might merchandise that was spread across his room. It finally dawned upon him what he went through that day.

"Why do I exist?" Izuku asked himself. "No one believes in me, not my mom, not Kacchan, and not even All M-," Izuku broke down. He couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face as he collapsed and started crying hysterically.

**A/N: Hello everyone and I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of **_**Villain of Tomorrow**_**. Recently I have had an interest in portraying Izuku Midoriya and how he would play out in the BNHA universe if he turned out to be a villain. But also, in a way where it makes sense, has a serious tone, and it's hopefully written well. If you are interested in me continuing this story, please let me know and make a review so I can see what I can improve on. Thanks again.**


	2. Chapter 2: Transformation

Izuku opened his eyes. The morning sun rays had pierced through the window in the room, crossing his face. Izuku turned to the left, blocking the sun with his back. He had cried all night from what transpired the day before, scared to relive those memories again.

Izuku stayed motionless, staring at the wall in front of him. A large poster of All Might towered over, presenting the hero in all his glory. In the past Izuku would squeal from excitement every time he saw it, but now it reminded him of the face that told him his dream was not achievable. Izuku raised his arm to remove the poster. Before he could do it, he was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Izuku dear, it's time to get ready for school," Inko said through the door. "I've made your favourite dish, so don't take too long or it'll get cold."

In his room, Izuku did not move. He lowered his right arm, as he looked at the poster with a blank stare.

"Izuku, is everything all right?"

He exited his trance, realizing his mother called for him. "Yeah, I'm coming," Izuku responded with a dejected voice.

Inko stood by the door, not certain what to do. She wanted to comfort him. Over time their once and happy relationship degraded into isolation from one another. Even then, she could not stand by him when he needed her the most. Inko looked at the door for a few more seconds, before deciding to go back into the living room.

The light had begun to cover Izuku's room. He stood up from his bed and closed the window blinds. His body was still sore from the beatings Katsuki gave him. Izuku walked over to his mirror, to see large bags under his eyes. He was not able to sleep the entire night.

Izuku moved towards his door and opened it slowly. The schoolbag that his mother washed, lay still on the hardwood floor. Izuku picked it up and headed towards the front door.

"Wait Izuku, I thought you were going to have breakfast," Inko said.

Izuku continued putting on his shoes. "I'm not hungry mom, I'll just get something at school later," Izuku replied. Before Inko could respond back, he closed the door and left.

* * *

The wind had pushed cherry blossom petals around the school, covering the ground with a pleasant colour. By the school gates, Katsuki and his friends stood by waiting. Izuku continued walking forward, disregarding the obvious trap that had been set up.

"Hey Deku," Katsuki said irritatingly. "Where do you think you're going?"

Izuku kept walking. He faced the school not realizing Katsuki was addressing him.

"You really messed him up didn't you huh?" asked one boy in his group. "Or is he just not afraid of you anymore?"

Katsuki flashed in anger and raised his fist, "Listen to me when I am talking to you quirkless nobody!" he shouted, moving forward and landing a punch in the back of Izuku's head.

The punch was strong enough to make Izuku fall. He lay on the hard-covered dirt, before slowly getting up and continuing to walk ahead, unfazed from what happened.

Katsuki looked at Izuku, bewildered from what he had just witnessed. This only angered him more, "That god damn Deku thinks he's better than me?" Katsuki challenged. He led out some small explosions from his palms before he was stopped by one of his friends.

"Hey Katsuki, be careful, one of the teachers might see us," he said. "Just get him later when no one else is around."

Katsuki continued to stare at Izuku. He deactivated his quirk and scoffed at what transpired. "I'll meet you guys up ahead in class, I've got to tell him something." His voice was hoarse with unwarranted fury. "He deserves what's coming for him…"

Katsuki walked over to the boy he had just hit. He placed his arm around Izuku's shoulder and leaned over, "When lunch break hits, meet me outside class," Katsuki said. "And don't you dare and try to run away from me."

Katsuki let go of his grip, tapping his hand against Izuku's head as he headed towards class. Katsuki's friends from earlier ran past Izuku, also hitting his head one by one.

While Izuku had been walking, his mind strafed all over the place. He did not care about where he was, and who did what to him. His dreams of becoming a hero were shattered, and the boy that bullied him would get everything he ever wanted.

Izuku entered the classroom, passing through the back and sitting down on his chair. He looked at the window, a glass building was seen in the distance with a large logo displaying _UA_.

"Look, guys, he's staring at U.A again," pointed out a classmate that was standing beside Izuku. Everyone laughed, with a few students that threw slander at him.

Quirkless freak was an insult Izuku heard often. A day ago, he would have been crying over it, but now he paid no attention to them. His mind would not listen, even if he wanted to.

The classroom door closed as the homeroom teacher entered. The entire room quieted down, and the students went to their seats. The school bells rang immediately after.

"Midoriya. Hello Midoriya?"

Izuku looked up and saw the teacher facing him, waving his hand across his face. "It's already lunchtime, go get something to eat," he said. Izuku stood up casually and turned towards the door. "Oh, and Midoriya, if I catch you staring at ponies in the sky again during class. I'll give you detention."

Izuku nodded and closed the door behind him. To his surprise Katsuki was slanted against the wall with his arms crossed, tapping his fingers furiously.

"It took you long enough Deku, are you fucking deaf or something?" Katsuki asked. "I was going to beat your ass after the teacher left but you got lucky."

Izuku looked at Katsuki, he wondered what his bully would do to him next. "_Perhaps he'll break my arm this time, or I don't know, something else,_" Izuku wondered to himself. Thoughts that would have scared him to death, seemed to go through his mind nonchalantly.

"Did you forget what I told you this morning?" Katsuki asked with an annoyed look.

Izuku did not answer. Katsuki looked at him again, the way Izuku acted with disinterest pissed him off beyond measure. Katsuki bit his lip and pointed to the stairs leading upwards. "Follow me Deku, we need to talk."

Both walked up the stairs, with Izuku trailing behind Katsuki. Izuku did not know what Katsuki wanted, only that it was pointless to run. Katsuki took out a set of keys from his pocket as they reached the final floor. He grabbed the handle of the door and opened it with a key, revealing an open area on the school roof. A large gust of wind passed through them, which caused Izuku's hair to point up.

"Go through the door," Katsuki ordered.

Izuku reluctantly walked through and looked at the bright blue sky. Katsuki closed the door behind him, leaving the keys inside. "Do you know why I called you here Deku?" Katsuki asked with a large grin.

Izuku looked back down towards Katsuki, the two made eye contact with each other. "If I were to guess, it's nothing that benefits me," Izuku said.

"Oh, it benefits you alright," Katsuki responded back, laughing. He pointed towards Izuku. "Perhaps I haven't made it clear to you that you're useless. You're a nobody. And I don't like the way you've been acting since this morning."

"Was that everything you wanted to say?" Izuku asked, putting his hands inside his pockets. The wind caused the air to feel much colder than it was. "Is this where you go and beat me up because I'm different?"

Izuku was about to say something else until Katsuki ran up towards him and kicked Izuku's side. Izuku stumbled back, catching himself by landing his arms on the concrete floor. The kick hit Izuku's ribs, the pain caused him to cough and gasp for air several times.

"So what?" Katsuki asked. He walked up to the injured boy and placed his foot on top of him. Katsuki then pushed him, which caused Izuku to collapse on the ground. "Stop trying to act like a smartass Deku."

"I'm quite frankly fed up with how you're acting now. Did you stop and think about how that makes me look in front of others?"

Izuku groaned in pain. He clenched his side as Katsuki began to walk over to him. "I'm getting tired of this," whispered Izuku to himself.

"Speak up you quirkless fuck," Katsuki shouted. He landed another kick, this time on the head.

For a moment Izuku was filled with a terrible and loud ringing noise. No matter how hard he tried to get rid of it, it came back in intervals. Izuku tried to cover his ears, but it did not help.

Katsuki's eyes lit up, he finally saw Izuku react to pain as he did in the past. "There we go, now that wasn't so hard was it?" Katsuki bent his knees down, he took pleasure in looking at Izuku suffer.

"Remember when I said us being here would benefit you…" Katsuki said. "I truly meant it."

He picked up Izuku by the collar and faced him towards a small rail that looped around the edges of the school roof. "You see that horizon? That's your way out, maybe then you'll be born with a quirk." Katsuki continued gripping Izuku tightly.

"Now go on then, do it. No one will care."

Izuku looked at Katsuki through the top of his eyes. He once again felt despair, but his mind had left him. Izuku started thrashing in terror, speaking incoherent sentences as tears streamed down his face.

Katsuki looked at him. "If you're not going to do it, then I'll help you." Katsuki overpowered Izuku with physical strength alone and began moving him closer to the ledge. "They'll think it's just suicide, a poor miserable kid who killed himself because he had no quirk."

The wind had grown stronger and muffled any sounds that were heard from above. Katsuki continued to drag Izuku closer, he laughed to himself.

"Think of it as me helping you Deku, I am only making it easier for you," Katsuki said. "Don't lie to yourself, you know you want to do it."

Izuku did not attempt to break free, the amount of psychological and physical stress had led him into a state of extreme madness. Suddenly, his mind went clear and a shadow appeared in front of him, sitting on the edge of the roof.

It looked out towards the city. "Has it finally gotten to the grand finale?" the shadow contemplated. "You know I wonder sometimes how you dealt with this, but now I see that you are weak."

Time had slowed down once again. Izuku looked at the shadow once more, its features were incomplete, yet oddly resembled a human.

"You have a few seconds left before your fate is sealed. Once you fall of this roof, plunging to your death people will scream in horror. But when they learn it was you, you will only become a joke, an afterthought to them."

"What are…" Izuku paused. "Are you god?"

"Far from it, yet I am surprised you haven't recognized me," the figure answered in a flat voice. It turned around to face Izuku. "I am the manifestation of your hatred, I am you." Izuku could see a faint smile.

"You've just kept me hidden away, ignoring that I exist. And now here I am, offering you a way to survive," the shadow said with a caring tone.

"Help me," Izuku pleaded without a second thought. He began to cry once more, whether it was out of fear or not. It was the first time anyone truly extended him a welcoming hand, he accepted reality.

"Good, I am glad you have chosen me," said the shadow. Parts of its body and face started to shape into Izuku's image. It gave off a large smile, but it did not feel warm.

Katsuki picked up Izuku and placed his chest on top of the rail. He noticed Izuku's body slump forward without any resistance. "_Did he pass out?_" Katsuki thought.

Katsuki felt something odd occur, before he realized what happened, his head was grabbed and smashed across the guard rail. Katsuki stumbled back, regaining his footing.

"Ow, that fucking hurt!" Katsuki shouted. He shook his head around to find out who did it. "Who the hell was it? Show yourself!"

Katsuki froze when he saw Izuku standing in front of him.

"Who do you think it was Kacchan? Something wrong with your head now?" Izuku asked, pointing his finger at his own.

"What the f- "Katsuki said before he was interrupted.

"Let me finish, I've sort of grown impatient letting you speak all the time," Izuku pointed out. Katsuki could not move, Izuku's actions confused him. "_Is that really the Deku I know?_" Katsuki thought.

"This is hilarious, just look at your face," Izuku said with a smile. He brought his body forward, tilting his head to the side. "I know what you're thinking. And yes, it's still me, but I can thank you for finally driving me to this point. It feels refreshing."

Katsuki clenched his fists, deep down there was a small part of him that was afraid. But it was still the Deku he knew that was standing in front of him.

"So, you finally went nuts?" Katsuki taunted Izuku. "Gives me a better excuse to beat the shit out of you."

In the distance, the school bell rang. Katsuki put his fists up and charged towards Izuku, he swung his right arm at head level. Izuku quickly ducked, he felt Katsuki's hand pass through his hair. Izuku attempted to laugh at his attempt but was quickly hit in the stomach from a left jab.

"Not so tough are you now?" Katsuki asked. He picked up Izuku and pushed him towards the ledge. Izuku barely managed to not fall off by hitting the guard rail.

Katsuki walked towards Izuku but was instantly grabbed around his torso. The fight turned into a grappling match, with both sides hitting each other with whatever arm or leg they could use.

"Get off me damn it," Katsuki said. He punched Izuku in the back several times before his leg slipped and both fell. Before Katsuki realized what happened, he looked up and saw Izuku holding his hand. His body lay swinging on the side of the school building.

Izuku attempted to hold on as hard as he could, he did not know why but his body moved on its own.

"Is this what you wanted Deku?" Katsuki asked with a slight crack in his voice. "Tell me."

Izuku ignored Katsuki, he tried his best to hold on using all the strength he had left. The commotion was seen from below, with a gym teacher and a few students seeing a student being held with one hand.

Katsuki began to form tears in his eyes, he did not want to die. "Deku!" Katsuki cried out.

Izuku tried to reassure Katsuki he would be safe, but at that moment he felt his grip slip. Izuku watched in silence as Katsuki fell, his back faced the ground as he looked into Izuku's eyes.

Screams were heard across the entire school, as most classes peered out of the windows to see where the sounds were coming from earlier. All they saw was a student's body laying on the ground, lifeless.

Izuku moved back from the ledge and stared blankly at what he had witnessed. He did not want Katsuki to die, but deep in his mind, he felt as if he was relieved from a pain in his heart.

Izuku touched his face and felt that his lips had arched up slightly. There was no fear. No pain. No feeling of guilt. Only laughter.

**A/N: Well I have to say, I hope my ideas so far have been expressed well. I won't really be saying much as to what will transpire in the story as we go, because that's up for you guys to discover. I was asked if Izuku Midoriya would gain a love interest, and yes it will happen. However, it's not going to be at the forefront of the story. Thanks to everyone who has so far favourited and followed my story, it really makes me happy. See you in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Truth

Izuku sat in a small room still wearing his school uniform. He waited for what seemed an eternity. Izuku looked at the desk in front of him, a cup of freshly made coffee had gotten cold.

The door to the room opened, "Alright Midoriya, I apologise for making you wait," said the police officer, he sat down across the table from Izuku. "I'm Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, I'm leading the investigation for Bakugo's death."

The detective glanced at the untouched mug. "Don't like coffee?" he asked.

"Oh no uhm, not really," Izuku responded. He could not stand bitter drinks.

Naomasa leaned back against his chair and pointed towards the door. "Well in that case, do you want me to get something else for you?" Naomasa asked. "We've got tea and most likely some other drinks."

"I'm good, thanks," Izuku said. He shifted his eyes down to the ground.

Naomasa stared at him for a moment, he placed document files on the desk.

"I'll be frank with you Midoriya. I'm only here to get information on what happened, and we're riding on the fact that it was an accident," Naomasa said. He opened the folder, showing a picture of Katsuki. "You were the only one on the roof when Bakugo fell."

Izuku stared at the picture silently. "We are aware of your history with the boy. It wasn't that hard to figure out from the people who were around you daily," Naomasa said. "But why were you both there?"

Izuku told him what transpired, he explained the details of Katsuki bullying him and leading up to the point when they went up to the roof.

"You're telling me that after he brought you up, it ultimately resulted in him tripping and falling off the ledge," Naomasa said, he rested a finger on his chin.

Izuku nodded. Even though it was his actions at the end that led up to that moment, it was the truth. Inside his mind, Izuku laughed to himself and questioned at how it even happened.

"Was there anything else?" Naomasa asked. He shifted through another paper, writing down information.

Izuku noticed it was his chance to make the detective feel more sympathetic to him. "Before he fell, he brought me up there to commit suicide."

Naomasa's eyes moved up from his glasses, "Interesting, if that's the case, I'm sorry you had to experience that." He attempted to see if Izuku's body movement or speaking behaviours changed. He was unsettled at how a Junior High boy seemed unfazed from the events that transpired, and how normal he acted after mentioning he was almost killed.

Naomasa copied Izuku's sitting position, he brought his legs closer together. "With everything that happened, why do you appear so calm?"

Izuku took a moment to reflect on the question, he did not want to say anything that would make him suspicious. "I don't know sir, it's just that I've never really been close to him after his quirk developed." He paused. "And I'm just trying to forget about what happened."

Naomasa could not fault the boy. He was aware of the negative perception people with no quirks got. Let alone how children would view that and prey on those who were different.

In reality, Izuku never wanted to forget the moment when Katsuki fell. He could not get enough of the face he last saw before his bully died. Izuku wanted to see it again, he did not understand why, but it felt good.

Naomasa was about to ask another question before a speaker in the room interrupted him, a woman's voice spoke through. "Detective Tsukauchi, the final piece of evidence you requested earlier had just arrived. You can go ahead and pick it up."

Naomasa raised his forehead a little, he placed his mug down. "We'll take a break for a bit, I'll be back in a few minutes Midoriya, sorry about that."

Izuku wasn't sure what they meant by evidence, but he did not remember at any point where his actions would be seen as guilty of murder. He glanced over the room, one thing caught his attention. Izuku noticed it was the only other object in the room apart from the table. A large vase of flowers stood in a corner, it portrayed an assortment of visible colours, yet something did not belong there.

"_Better keep my mouth shut and not say something I'll regret,_" Izuku thought. He was not certain if a recorder was placed there, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Thirty minutes had passed, yet the detective did not return. Izuku bored out of his mind, counted the number of visible dots he saw on the drywall ceiling.

"1132, 1133, 1134…" Izuku counted. The door opened right before Izuku could continue.

"Sorry about the wait," Naomasa said. Izuku noticed that he did not bring his folder with him. "The good news I can tell you is that you've been completely exonerated from any sort of suspicion."

Izuku sat in disbelief, "_Did it really take that fast?_" he thought.

"If you're wondering why... we reviewed video footage from a security camera that was stationed up at the roof. I guess it was there for a good reason," Naomasa stated. When he reviewed the footage, Izuku's story aligned with what was shown.

"Along with all of the witness accounts being factored in, everything comes together so I'm sorry for putting you through all of this," Naomasa said, he sat back down on his chair.

"Granted that this was proper procedure," he retorted. "If you were the one responsible for his death, then it would spell out a different story."

Izuku looked down, it was difficult for him to keep a straight face. "Oh, I didn't mean to mention that," Naomasa laughed, he misunderstood Izuku for being scared.

"With that out of the way, unavoidably there is also some bad news Midoriya."

The boy looked at Naomasa, confused from what he meant. "Due to the incident that occurred a few days ago, we felt as if it was in the best interest to transfer you to another school. Some of them in this region take 3rd-year transfer students in," Naomasa said, he stopped to regain his breath. "But due to the situation, they're not willing to take you in. I hope you understand."

Izuku looked at the detective, twiddling his thumbs. He did not care about school anymore.

"The school you're in right now can't legally expel you, so there are no other real options for you," Naomasa said quietly. He stood up from his chair and gestured Izuku to do the same.

The detective put one hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Your mom is waiting outside."

* * *

"Izuku!" Inko cried out, she ran towards her son and hugged him with tremendous force.

"Mom, you're hurting me," Izuku whispered. He attempted to get out, but she did not let go.

"I was so worried, I thought you were hurt, and they did not let me see you." She looked at the detective with an angry look. Naomasa put his hands up, feigning ignorance.

"_Pretty sure that is illegal to do with a minor,_" Izuku thought for a second, but he was just glad to have gotten out.

"Did they do anything to you?" Inko asked. She let go of her son, wiping her tears away.

Izuku looked at her. "No mom, everything's fine."

The detective smiled at the sight. "I don't mean to interrupt your reunion, but there's still something I need to mention," Naomasa said, he put his hands inside his coat pockets.

Inko and Izuku faced towards him. "We've done our best to keep the details surrounding this tragedy away from the news outlets," Naomasa said. He passed Inko over his business card. "If they start bothering you and your son, give me a call and the department will sort it out." He opened the door and left the building.

Inko placed the card inside her purse as they exited the police department, she let out a sigh. "Izuku, I was hoping we could visit Bakugo's family and give them some proper closure."

Izuku did not like hearing that. "I don't think they'd like to see me, and if anything, isn't that the police's job?" Izuku murmured an excuse.

"Don't be like that!" Inko replied in shock. "Mitsuki and Masaru always liked you when you were younger, and it would be better if you explained to them what happened. Tell them that he was a good friend."

Izuku's eyes lit up in anger. "What about how I feel?" Izuku shouted, surprising Inko.

Several passersby stopped and faced towards the outcry in the street. "Do you even know who he was to me? Why should I do something like that for him?" Izuku berated his mother, he clenched his fists.

"Have you ever stopped to consider my well-being over others for at least one day?"

It was the first time Inko witnessed her son act that way. His words left her stunned, and before she could respond, Izuku ran off.

"Izuku wait!" Inko cried out.

Izuku continued to run as fast as he could. He wanted to be left alone, "Just anywhere but here," Izuku reasoned to himself.

The sun had already begun to set. Izuku continued running aimlessly forward, confusing pedestrians as he passed them. His body grew tired, but Izuku mustered on until the point of fatigue.

Izuku had lost sense of time and direction. The only thing that faced in front of him was the ocean, glimmering in a red pastel colour. Seagulls flew over as they attempted to catch fish swimming in the water.

"You're just overreacting," a voice said behind Izuku. "That's not who I am. That's not who we are."

The embodiment of Izuku's natural desires reappeared in front of him. Only it's face mirrored his look, the rest was covered in shadows once again.

"Just look at you. Even after you took care of Katsuki, you're conflicted," the shadow said. "Make up your mind. You shouldn't care about how others feel about you. Mother might have made it look like she cared, but she was the first one to throw you under the bus."

"She's not your mother!" Izuku countered immediately.

The shadow looked at Izuku with disappointment. "I thought we have already gone over this," it said. "I understand how you feel, but this is getting us nowhere."

Izuku blinked, staring at the shadow. "Then what do you propose I do?"

The shadow snorted. "Must I repeat everything again? Whatever…" The shadow stopped, it spoke in a chilling tone. "Stop caring about others and also how they feel about you."

"First rule, and the last rule," it said. "I don't expect change immediately, but there is already some progress."

"Yeah well that's because I was led up against a wall, I had no choice," Izuku said.

"But it felt good when you did it, I know it felt good," the shadow replied back.

Izuku could not argue with it, there was some truth to that emotion. When Katsuki fell, Izuku felt relieved.

"I don't plan on coming back out again," the shadow said, it looked at Izuku with dead eyes. "I'm not here for emotional support. If you intend on paying back the world that had left you to die, it's only your actions that will prove it."

"You're right," Izuku responded with an expressionless face, he realized what a child he had been. In front of Izuku stood the only thing that truly understood him.

Izuku looked back towards the shadow, but it was already gone.

* * *

Inside the house Inko paced back and forth, worrying about her son. She initially wanted to head back to the police office and have them find Izuku, but she soon realized they would not do anything if he had been missing for one hour.

"_I just hope he's okay,_" she thought to herself. "_Maybe I did push him too far._"

She grabbed the house phone, dialling _9-1-1_. She looked at the screen displaying the number before cancelling it and placing it back down on the stand. Inko did not know what to do.

The front door's handle suddenly moved. The door opened, revealing Izuku standing beside it.

"Izuku? You're back?" Inko asked, still not believing what she had seen.

Izuku nodded, he entered inside and closed the door. "Just had to take a breather, I am fine now," Izuku said.

"Look dear, I'm sorry about earlier," Inko admitted. "I didn't consider your thoughts about it."

"It's fine," Izuku responded. He took off his shoes and walked passed Inko into the hallway. Maybe his mother cared for him he thought, but it was too late.

Inko turned to face Izuku, "If you're hungry, I can make some dinner."

Izuku waved back, "Sure, I'll be in my room. Call me when it's ready," he said with a flat voice.

Inko was not sure how to respond to what she had witnessed. She did not know whether to be happy that her son came back or feel frightened by the way he acted.

Izuku closed his door and removed his school vest, following up with his dress shirt. He walked up to the mirror and looked at himself. From across the shoulders to his hips, his body was covered in scars and burns that he had accumulated from injuries Katsuki had given him since childhood.

It did not bother Izuku anymore, he intended on wearing it like armour. A reminder to himself of who he was, and what had been done to him.

Izuku chuckled when he remembered how hard he always tried to hide it from his mother. Even now he was certain she did not know. He looked at the desk in front of him, a large pile of notebooks he had written down lay untouched.

"_Regardless of what its intentions were, I guess it could still prove useful to me,_" Izuku said to himself. He opened the notebook at the top and looked through its contents.

"Top hero quirks and how they can be improved," he read. Izuku flipped to the next page and saw a drawing of All Might.

_Quirk: Super Strength and Awesomeness_

_How to Improve it: …_

Izuku stared at the page before he let out a small laugh. Even though All Might told him he could not be a hero. Izuku respected his sense of duty and actual effort into saving others instead of himself.

"I guess I am going to have to do more research," Izuku said. He closed the notebook and walked up to the closet, grabbing a long-sleeve shirt and putting it on. "_There is still a lot of more interesting quirks for me to learn about,_" Izuku thought, before sitting down on his bed.

He was not certain of how he would enact revenge against the society that wronged him. Izuku pondered for a while, he then came to a short-term solution.

Izuku rested his chin on his hand, "All I have is information about hero quirks and some villains, but I need more if I want to get somewhere with this." Izuku did not know where to start yet it did not matter to him. Just the thought alone of him doing something terrible made his heart tremble with excitement. He had not felt that way since Katsuki's death.

"Izuku, dinner is ready," Inko yelled, loud enough for him to hear. Izuku stood up and left his room, he walked over to the dinner table and sat down.

Inko shifted over with two plates and placed one beside him. She noticed that Izuku acted happier than how he was earlier.

"Well someone looks better now," Inko said joyfully. "Just make sure school doesn't bring you down."

"Oh, it won't," Izuku said immediately.

Inko was surprised once more, she could not tell what her son was thinking. He seemed like a completely different person.

Izuku took a bite out of his fish. "I'll be home later tomorrow,"

"Oh. Why's that?" Inko asked with curiosity.

"I'm planning on doing some research for an assignment that's coming up," Izuku replied, grinning towards his mother.

**A/N: Thanks for reading the third chapter, and I hope that you are so far enjoying reading it. We'll have to see where the story goes in the near future, but I can promise you that there's some exciting stuff I have planned out. Thanks again for reading, favouriting, and following. Cheers!**


	4. Chapter 4: Encounter

Izuku stood outside of his apartment. The morning breeze had set in, pushing small scraps of paper beneath his feet. Izuku rubbed his eyes, he had trouble sleeping the night before. Initially, it was from his excitement, but whenever he tried to close his eyes after, his body would not go to sleep.

Izuku walked down the building stairs. "_If I'm going to do this, I'll need to find an opportunity where I get to meet a villain in private,_" Izuku thought.

He knew his plan was reliant mostly on luck, finding someone trustworthy was going to be difficult.

"School comes first though for now," Izuku muttered, he held a brand-new notebook in his hands.

The atmosphere changed at the Junior High school ever since the incident. Katsuki was beloved by everyone due to his exceptional talents, they were sad to have him gone.

All of the students stop and whispered when they saw Izuku, keeping their distance from him.

Izuku was annoyed at how much attention he received. A group of first years stared at him, to which they only saw eyes of pure hatred, which seemed to penetrate into their souls. They quickly ran off, passing by him.

Izuku walked over to his classroom, his classmates quieted down immediately. He sat down once again at the chair he was given at the start of the year, this time no one was going to kick him in the back.

One of the students finally made the courage to speak up against Izuku. "It should have been you..." the student said in grief. "Why is it you that had to be here?"

Izuku turned to face his classmate, he smiled. "That was very nice of you to say," Izuku remarked sarcastically. "Glad to see you being ignorant as ever."

"What did you say?" the boy asked. He walked over to Izuku, grabbing his collar.

"Now you're resorting to violence?" Izuku asked with a bored expression. "How heroic of you."

They stood there in silence until the teacher slapped them both on the head.

"Enough with the fighting, both of you. I don't want to see that again," the teacher said.

The boy turned to his desk.

"Bye-bye," Izuku said quietly, he waved his hand.

"What's wrong with him?" asked one student behind Izuku.

"Pay no attention, he's just trying to mess with us," said another. "He should have ended up in prison."

Izuku ignored them. They were all insignificant to him.

* * *

"Midoriya," the teacher walked up to him after the last class ended. "Don't provoke them right now, it's a tough time for most of them."

Izuku looked at the teacher with perplexity. He had to clear his ears in order to make sure he heard what he thought he did.

"Whatever you say, teacher," Izuku responded back. He left the building, heading towards the downtown area.

"_Is this what I'm really dealing with on a minor scale?_" Izuku thought. "_It's already gotten this bad. How many more people are going to be thrown away to rot?_"

Izuku moved his backpack towards him. He opened the top and took out a pencil and notebook that he had brought with him.

"Time to look around," Izuku said gleefully. "I wonder what quirks I'll learn about today." His habit of analysing information was the last trait Izuku had kept unchanged.

It did not take him long to find an alleyway with the sound of people brawling.

"Lucky," Izuku said, he put his hands together. Quietly Izuku walked closer to the fight that had taken place. He noticed that there were mostly thugs, but one of the aggressors stood out.

"Show me your blood," the towering figure screamed. He picked up one thug by the head, the lifeless body lifted away from the ground. Before Izuku could examine the quirk, the thug's head exploded from the tremendous amount of force exerted on it.

A small amount of blood sprayed onto Izuku's notebook, yet his eyes lit up with excitement from what he had witnessed. "_What was that?_" Izuku thought. He only saw for a brief moment when the man's hand grew in size. "_Did he just alter his physical strength?_"

Izuku was lost in a million discussions that his mind went through, his habit of muttering long sentences began to spill out. Izuku instinctively started writing down observations and theories of the quirk the man used to commit murder with.

"Blonde hair. Around two meters tall and…" Izuku was interrupted by a body flying past his face. He initially thought he had been seen, but the blonde man continued fighting the remaining gang members. Izuku looked at the headless body that rested beside his feet. It was a shame he thought, he would never learn its quirk.

"Is that all that you've got weaklings?" the murderer asked. "I was told it would be worth my time fighting you."

The man opened up his arms, inviting them to hit him. "I'll give you one chance. You can hit me, and I won't block it with my arms." The thugs hesitated. One of them then quickly rushed forward sticking out a combat knife towards the man's chest.

Izuku could not see well from the man's back. Yet he noticed that he stood unworried. The murderer chuckled to himself before grabbing the thug by his hand, smashing him against the wall.

Izuku finally saw what the unknown man's quirk manifested into. Muscle fibres surrounded his arm and chest, the knife still protruded out of it. The man took out the blade, throwing it down on the ground.

"Didn't say I wasn't going to use my quirk," the man cracked up. He reverted back to his regular form.

"Screw that, I don't want to die here," said one of the thugs running off. The rest who were alive followed suit.

The blonde man scoffed, "Weaklings."

He was about to exit the alleyway before a quiet sound behind him caught his attention. The man turned around, he noticed something prodding a thug he killed earlier with what looked like a pencil.

"_What the hell,_" the man thought before slowly walking up towards the sight. It took him by surprise when he saw a teen in his school uniform looking at the body with a curious expression. The boy mumbled to himself, occasionally writing down something in his notebook.

The man interrupted him, "Shouldn't you be in school little boy?" It confused him as to how the kid in front of him remained calm from his presence, let alone the fact that a dead body was laying in front of him.

Izuku looked up towards the man, realizing that he had been found out. He stopped writing in his notebook. "Classes already ended," Izuku responded back. "Can you give me just a second to finish this up?"

The man continued to stare at the boy, he was puzzled from what he heard. "Who are you affiliated with?" he asked, looking at the bloodied notebook. He felt a weird vibe from the boy, it gave off mixed signals.

"I'm just someone who is interested in quirks," Izuku responded. He closed his notebook.

"That doesn't answer my question," the man said, he tensed up his arms for a possible confrontation.

Izuku stood up, bringing his body up to face the man. "It's just me, but…" he stopped. "The more I look at you, it reminds me of a villain I have read about."

Before the man could respond, Izuku raised his voice. "Ah! I remember your quirk, you're Muscular, aren't you?" Izuku asked with interest.

"That's right," Muscular replied. He was impressed that someone recognized him.

Izuku changed his tone, he looked happy. "Your quirk is amazing! It's like so strong. Powerful enough to pretty much overtake anyone."

"Uhm, thanks. I guess," Muscular said, not knowing what else to say. His day was just getting weirder and weirder.

"What kind of other things can you do? How long can you use it for? Are there any side-effects? What made you decide to go down the villain path?" Izuku rambled on, he spoke almost without taking a breather.

"Jesus kid. Calm down, will you?" Muscular asked. He rested one hand on his head, shaking the back of his hair slightly. The boy piqued his interest. "_Why isn't he scared of me? Shouldn't he be afraid that I'll kill him,_" Muscular thought.

"Oh, sorry," Izuku said, shifting his head down.

"Don't be," Muscular said reassuringly. "Say, you didn't happen to have anyone know or follow you on the way here?"

Izuku thought for a second, he looked at the alleyway entrance he came through earlier. "No, I don't think so."

Muscular let out a grin. "Good." He raised his hand, forming a punching stance towards the boy. Muscular flung his fist towards Izuku, the blow created enough force to dent the building wall, cracks formed around the stone.

Izuku looked to his left, the fist had barely scratched him. He felt a sharp pain on his cheek, blood dripped slowly to the ground.

"Not bad," Muscular said. "I don't sense any fear in you. However, I suggest you forget what you saw here earlier, for both of our sakes." He looked at the notebook that Izuku had held from the beginning.

"I'll be taking that."

"Huh," Izuku asked. He then realized what had happened, attempting to grab it back. "But you can't! It's mine."

"What did you say?" Muscular asked. He glanced at Izuku with rage, stopping the boy from complaining. Muscular then folded the notebook and placed it in his back pocket.

Izuku looked at the bent notebook protruding out. He drifted his eyes with a disappointed look, knowing it would be best not to provoke the man who killed others with relative ease.

"You should be glad I'm letting you live. I would have killed you if you attempted to run away," Muscular said. The alleyway had begun to reek of blood, he had already wasted too much time talking.

"You're a bit on the weird side, but I like you." Muscular stepped back, he created a large set of muscles around his legs. "What's your name kid?"

"Izuku… Izuku Midoriya," he said without thinking.

"Heh, didn't your parents ever tell you to never give out your name to strangers?" Muscular asked. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Well I, uhh," Izuku staggered. Muscular jumped into the air, passing over the building in front of him.

Izuku fell from the knockback. He got back on his feet after a few seconds, scraping the dirt off his shoulder. "Holy shit," Izuku said, the jump startled him. He naturally moved his hand around to find his notebook, upon which he realized he no longer had anymore.

He opened his schoolbag, taking out another one. Izuku wrote down everything he could remember. As he finished, Izuku wiped his forehead. He was surprised to feel sweat.

"Time to head out before anyone realizes I was here," Izuku muttered. He heard police sirens in the distance as he left the street.

* * *

Inside a small lounge, a man sat by the counter waiting for the bartender to finish his drink. The door slammed open, Muscular entered through with an annoyed look.

"Giran, the place you sent me to, had a bunch of nobodies there," Muscular said. "It was a complete waste of my time."

Giran took out a burning cigarette from his mouth, butting the end of it inside a receptacle. He exhaled a large puff of smoke to the side.

"Don't be like that. Their boss had some intel on the existence of our organization," Giran said with a calm look. "I take it you destroyed the files in his safe?"

Muscular walked over to the bar counter and sat parallel to Giran from across two seats. He waved off to the bartender, who had his face and arms covered in black mist. "I'll get an IPA, tap of your choice."

The bartender nodded, he handed over Giran the drink he made earlier.

"Yeah they're gone, it's the last we should hear of them either," Muscular responded.

Giran grabbed his drink and took a sip. "Good. Small or not in scale, right now the boss is intending on playing his cards right," Giran said, looking at the glass. He put the cigarette back between his teeth.

Muscular shrugged. "As long as I get to kill someone, I guess it's tolerable."

"Speaking of waiting until the time is right," the bartender asked. "Did we hear anything about looking for more potential villains to join our cause?"

Giran exhaled and looked at the bartender. "Well I have been looking Kurogiri, but so far it's a mixed bag."

Kurogiri placed a glass under the tap, pouring beer into it. "What do you mean it's a mixed bag?" he questioned.

"Well, for starters I already found some that pass the criteria. But the number is small, and only a few I still have to get background checks on," Giran noted.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Kurogiri stated, closing the tap.

Giran took out his cigarette once more, he waved it around in his hand. "I have already searched extensively in the entire applicant pool. And it's not necessarily increasing too."

"That's why we exist," stated Tomura Shigaraki behind them. Muscular turned around and saw a young man with light blue hair.

"_Great,_" Muscular thought to himself. "_Another kid I have to deal with today._" His eyes slowly opened, "Hey Giran, I actually came in for another reason today." He grabbed the glass of beer Kurogiri handed him.

"Does the name Izuku Midoriya ring any bells?"

Giran thought for a second. "No, it doesn't. Why do you ask?"

Muscular reached for his back pocket, grabbing the notebook he took earlier. "Met him there when I was killing off the rest of the group. I think you might be interested in seeing this." Muscular said. He put the notebook on the table and slid it over to him.

"What's this?" Giran asked. The notebook he looked at had no title.

"I grabbed this off him when I talked to him. I don't know who he is, but he was an interesting fellow," Muscular said, gulping down the last ounce of his drink. "Take a look."

Giran opened the notebook, revealing detailed information on Muscular's quirk. Several pages explained the quirk's weaknesses, abilities, and ways on how to improve it.

"What's scary about this, is that it's all true. He wrote all of that after seeing me use my quirk maybe two or three times," Muscular said seriously.

Giran was surprised, there were a few things in the notebook even he did not know about. "Interesting indeed," Giran noted. He placed the cigarette inside the bowl.

"Is this something that has to do with his quirk?"

Muscular asked Kurogiri for another glass. "Not certain, I don't even know if that boy is a villain."

The entire group was taken aback. "I'm surprised you even let someone live, nevertheless the fact that it was a child," Kurogiri said.

Muscular dismissed his comment. "That's not the point. He's probably thirteen or fourteen, but I think he's good enough to join the league. Can't speak for his fighting skills though."

Giran sighed audibly. "I can't deny what you've shown me. I hate to say it, but his talent exceeds my own when it comes to quirk analysis," he agreed with Muscular.

Tomura attempted to grab the notebook but was stopped by Giran. "That's up for Muscular to decide. If he wants you to see, then he'll give it to you."

Tomura walked away, clawing his fingers at his throat with frustration.

Giran walked up and passed the notebook over to Muscular.

"Apart from this wonderful news, you've actually decided to visit at a perfect time. The boss is here," Giran pointed out. The entire group was surprised once again, there was no news of his arrival.

Clapping was heard in a dark hallway behind them. "As expected of you Giran, you never fail to entertain me with your antics."

"You flatter me sir, but I'm just an old man with connections," Giran replied with respect.

"I heard the conversation you had. I am curious in the boy as well, he may prove useful to us," the voice pointed out. A man wearing a suit appeared out of the door, a large mask covered his entire head and neck area.

"Indeed, All for One it is as you say," Giran said. "However, I am not certain how to approach this scenario, we know nothing about him."

"There is no need to worry about that, I will personally assess him myself," All for One stated.

Tomura had been watching from the sidelines, he did not like the interest his master took towards the boy.

All for One looked at the group gathered at the bar. "That covers it then, good work all of you. The preparations are coming along nicely." The mask covered his smile.

Giran nodded, "Would you like me to inform the non-present members of anything?"

"That won't be necessary," All for One said, he put his hand up. "Focus on the recruits."

"And Tomura…" the mask turned to face him. "I will need to speak with you soon."

**A/N: Sorry about ending the chapter on a slight cliff-hanger, however, I want to briefly mention that I have decided to continue writing this story to its full completion. Currently, my drive for writing is high, so expect 2-3 chapters per week. I will make sure the quality is consistent throughout. Thanks for reading if you see this.**


	5. Chapter 5: An Offer

Tomura walked into the pitch-black hallway that his Master had come through earlier. He tripped over a small crack, almost falling down before he regained his footing.

All for One gave off a small chuckle, he stopped to look at the hair that streamed across a hand on the young villain's face. "I apologise Tomura, I did not stop to consider that you could not see. The lighting should be installed here soon."

"It's alright Master, my eyes just haven't adjusted yet. I'm sorry for delaying you," Tomura said, not wanting to disappoint All for One.

All for One turned around, he continued to walk down the seemingly unending path.

"Master, may I ask why you wanted to speak with me?" Tomura asked, still holding one hand along the wall.

"Everything I wish to tell you will be said in time. There is no need to rush things Tomura," All for One told him. "You seem to have been troubled lately. Part of me calling you today is because of that, the other reason I will explain to you once we arrive."

Tomura's eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, he caught up to All for One. "I'm perfectly fine, I'm not a kid anymore," Tomura said.

"Tomura," All for One said chillingly, he stopped once more. "Do not lie to me ever again. Your emotions are unbalanced. Need I only look at you, and the entire picture appears in front of me."

All for One's presence towered over Tomura, making the young man afraid of the repercussions. Moments passed yet nothing happened. Tomura never understood what his Master thought underneath the mask, but his love and respect for the man in the suit were greater than anyone in the world. All for One took him in ever since he was a child. Giving him food, shelter, and a place he could call home. Tomura considered the man his own father.

Silence stood over between them, it was interrupted by All for One taking a step towards a door that had appeared in front of them.

"Follow me," All for One said.

They stepped through the door that had opened by itself. The place revealed a small room, resembling an office. It had been refurbished everywhere, a large desk was spaced out in the middle. The man gestured Tomura to sit down at one of the seats.

All for One walked over to a large leather chair and sat down. He put his elbows on the table, crossing his hands together. "You disagree with the decision I made with Giran earlier."

Tomura stood in silence, his hand had grabbed the top of the chair, but his body froze.

"I don't disagree with your deci–" Tomura said, before being interrupted.

"Sit, before you speak," All for One ordered.

Tomura sat down quickly, he was afraid. "Yes Master," he said in a small, hushed breath.

"Do you believe I made a mistake in wanting to recruit the boy?" All for One repeated.

"No, it's just that…" Tomura stopped, he did not want to show his envy.

"Just what?" All for One asked. He grew impatient with the young man.

Tomura nervously readjusted the hand that blocked his face. There was no chance of getting out of the question. Tomura thought quickly, he chose the best option available. "Isn't he just a kid? Seems like a waste of time and effort into making someone join. He might possibly not even be a villain."

All for One looked at him, knowing it was likely not the real answer Tomura had in his mind. Yet the response All for One received was not bad either.

"Funny you should mention that. When I brought you in, where you not just a little boy?" All for One pointed out. "Some of the recruits that have joined or will be soon, are of his age as well."

Tomura sat in silence. There was no arguing with the man he feared and respected.

"You are right about the last part though," he said. All for One changed his hand posture. "However, that doesn't mean it's not impossible. Even if the boy is not a villain, ideologies can be changed."

Tomura felt a slight relief, his answer had barely passed as legitimate. He moved his head up, scratching his neck from anxiety.

"The other reason I called you here for, is that you'll be taking over the operations and leading them once we are ready," All for One said.

This surprised Tomura. He never expected his Master to put such a heavy responsibility on him. He felt compelled to earn All for One's trust.

"I have high hopes in you. Hopefully, this will prove to be a useful teaching experience," All for One told him.

A smile touched Tomura's lips. "Of course, Master."

* * *

Izuku continued walking the streets on a Sunday night, attempting to find any quirk that intrigued him. Two days had passed since he met Muscular, and during that time he had not found anyone that excited him as much then.

"Ouch," Izuku whispered. He looked at his bandaged right hand he had accidentally cut the night before. The wound still stung, and he could see that it re-opened. A small red stain appeared in the middle of his palm.

Izuku walked passed several passersby before feeling a large rumble in his stomach. He had been preoccupied with searching for villains, that his mind had forgotten to eat the entire day.

"Guess now wouldn't be a bad time to take a break_,_" Izuku said quietly. He took out his wallet, two one-thousand-yen bills sat inside. He looked around and spotted a fast food restaurant.

Izuku frowned. "No real option here."

He opened the door, revealing a run-down place. Izuku walked over to the ordering station, but no employees were in sight. Izuku could tell that they did not get many customers.

"Oh sorry," shouted out a voice in the back of the store. A fat burly man stepped out, greeting Izuku. He placed his hands on the counter. "What can I get you?"

Izuku looked at the signs above him. "I'll get combo number six." He passed over the two bills to the man.

"Pick any drink you want from the fridge," the man pointed out, returning Izuku his change.

Izuku looked at his hand, he had been short-handed. "Sure," Izuku said. "_No wonder this place is shutting down,_" he thought to himself. Izuku walked over to the fridge, at the corner of his eyes, something caught his attention.

The only customer in the restaurant besides Izuku stared at him profusely. Izuku felt uncomfortable but disregarded it. He walked back to the counter for his food.

"Sorry for making you wait. Here you go, a double patty with fries," the large man said with enthusiasm.

"Thanks," Izuku muttered, grabbing the plastic tray. He was not going to bother arguing with what happened earlier.

Izuku turned around and walked over to a table in front of him that was the furthest away from the other customer. He placed the tray down and sat facing the street window. He grabbed his bag, taking out the notebook he had been writing in while observing quirks.

The other person continued staring at Izuku intensely, for minutes even at a time. Izuku tried not to pay attention but his curiosity got the best of him. He looked up and made eye contact with a girl that looked around his age.

Izuku quickly looked down, his face flustered. "_Oh god,_" Izuku thought. He shifted his eyes nervously, looking at his notes. "_Why has she been staring at me for so long?_" Izuku was not certain if he had been found out once more from his outings. "_Better to just keep to myself and leave soon._"

He was interrupted by the chair in front of him moving. Izuku was preoccupied in his thoughts and did not realize in time that the girl he had looked at earlier, sat down right in front of him.

"_What the hell?!_" Izuku shouted inside his mind. The girl's sudden appearance startled him even more. "_Who is she?_"

"Hello there cutie," the girl said, resting her chin on her hand.

"W… w… wh-wha… what?" Izuku said in surprise. He did not know how to handle the greeting that appeared to smash his face wide open. He was not used to talking directly to girls.

The girl laughed, smiling at him. "Just saying hi. Jeez you are super cute." She looked at Izuku's bandaged arm. Izuku noticed and quickly moved his hand underneath the table.

"Awww," she cried out, puffing her face. "I just wanted to look at it."

Izuku was confused. The girl was beyond his comprehension. "Uhm, why?" It was the only response he could think of. He knew he had to choose his words carefully.

"Because I like blood silly!" the girl said with an amused tone. "And I like you."

"I... I-I… Thanks?" Izuku responded. He did his best not to look at the girl directly.

"You're so adorable when you look away," the girl teased him. "I'm Toga Himiko but _you_ can call me Toga if you want."

"Why is she so friendly with me? Does she really like me that much…" Izuku pondered.

"What's your name?" Toga asked spontaneously.

Izuku knew better not to give out his name this time, but he felt something pointing at his leg, slowly rising up. Izuku gulped down his throat, realizing what she was doing.

"Izuku," he said quietly. The knife underneath the table still continued to move towards his inner left thigh. "Midoriya." Izuku gave up, knowing it was best not to upset her.

"Izuku… Midoriya," Toga repeated, lifting the knife away from his leg. She smiled, "Can I call you Izu-chan?"

Izuku's face blushed. He put his hands up to cover his face. "Please. Please don't call me by that name," he said nervously.

"Why not Izu… chan?" Toga said, she began to enjoy teasing him more.

Before Izuku could respond back, Toga grabbed his injured arm and started caressing it with her cheek.

"Himiko- I mean Toga… W-what are you doing?" Izuku asked.

Toga then tapped his nose with her right hand. "Boop!"

Izuku sat there in silence, giving up on trying to question her. Toga examined his hand before grabbing something from her cardigan, she then wrote on his notebook. He looked and saw a phone number that she had written down in cursive. Next to it, a heart was drawn, with a smiley face inside.

His eyes flashed before noticing that the mysterious girl stood up and began walking to the exit of the restaurant. Their eyes met once more, as Toga made a phone gesture towards her ear, mouthing off the words, "Call me."

The door closed. Izuku replayed the scenario in his head a thousand times before he finally understood what had happened. He sat in his chair like a deer staring at car headlights.

He was suddenly brought back from a voice that called out to him. "Sir, we are already closing down for tonight," the man said behind the counter glass.

Izuku nodded, he stood up and threw his half-finished burger into the trash. He walked outside, heading back to his house.

"Just what was that?" Izuku asked to himself. "Why did I even let myself get pushed around by her?"

He placed his hand on his forehead. The thought of a girl liking him was something he always wanted, but his interest lay more into whether she had any ulterior motives. "_That's just not something someone normal would do. She had a god damn knife,_" Izuku thought. Yet he could not deny that it made his heart race a little.

"She might know my name… But if I'm careful, I'll avoid walking into her at public places," Izuku said. "Calling her is definitely out of the question." Izuku grabbed his notebook to erase her message but realized quickly that it was not written with a regular pencil.

"Ink? Wait, no… is that blood?"

Izuku sighed, "Yeah, definitely not meeting her again."

Izuku maintained a steady pace. He thought about all of the close encounters that he had come across after deciding to observe villains. Izuku tried his best to be quiet and cautious, but at some point, there could come a time when he would have to defend himself.

"Best option right now would be getting a knife, but the problem is that I am not familiar with using it properly," Izuku muttered. "Let alone the difficulty in getting a proper one."

Izuku crossed a small road and entered a shortcut that passed in between a small community of houses.

"Ho. I'm impressed with how well you articulate your thoughts when it comes to hurting others." Izuku heard a deep voice address him. A tall figure leaned across a tree, Izuku was not able to see the man's face. Izuku formed a defensive stance, but his body was telling him to run.

"No need to get defensive young man," said the man. "I take it you've already grown tired of people surprising you."

Izuku stayed quiet, assessing whether the person in front of him was a threat. "Are you a villain?" Izuku asked with a straight face.

"Indeed, I am, but I have not come here to be your enemy," said the voice. "In fact, I am here to offer you a proposition." The man stepped forward, revealing a giant mask that covered his entire head.

"I am the leader of a specific organisation that centres itself towards giving villains a voice. In fact, you might know one of the members you had met a few days ago. He goes by the codename… what was it? Muscular, yes."

Izuku was interested in what the man in the mask had to say. "And why have you, the leader, decide to confront me alone? That seems a little suspicious."

The man in the suit laughed. "I have to give it to you for not stumbling at what I had said previously. It seems as if you had expected for this to happen." He took one step closer to Izuku. "The reason why I am here is that I am the only one who can offer you to become special. Someone strong, someone who could enact revenge against the world and false heroes who had left him to suffer."

Izuku was not able to understand what the man meant. "What does he mean to make me special? How could I become strong?"

"It seems you do not understand just what I can do young Midoriya," the mask said. Breathing sounds were heard going through tubes exiting the back.

"I am offering you a quirk, a powerful one at that."

Izuku stood in disbelief, he did not know how the man knew he was quirkless. He thought to himself if it was really even possible to be given a quirk artificially. "And what do you want in return?" he asked sternly.

"Amazing, you really are able to comprehend things quickly," the man responded. "I only wish you to join us, however, I do not want to force you. This is your decision to make."

"We are aware of your extraordinary skills when it comes to analysing quirks. Your past has created the mindset of the perfect villain, and I thought it would be a waste to let that go."

Izuku was impressed with how the man knew everything about him. He did not know if it was a quirk that allowed him to read minds, but something was different about the man who had decided to confront him.

"I'm interested," Izuku said. An opportunity had finally jumped into his hands, letting go of it was not an option. Izuku thought of several ideas that would explain the man's quirk, but nothing came to mind.

"In that case, you will need this," the man replied. "There is only one contact here, call it tomorrow exactly at 5 PM and you will be given instructions on where to go." He handed an old phone into Izuku's hand. "I look forward to speaking with you again."

Izuku watched the man exit the shortcut. He never expected this encounter to had happened so fast. Izuku let out a large sigh. "He knew everything, just who was that?"

He looked at the phone that was given to him. It was covered in glitter, with pink embroidery. "Ha, this is just something else," Izuku chuckled. He smiled and looked at the moon, "Isn't this just great?"

**A/N: I guess the ship has finally decided to exit the docks. We'll see how Izuku's and Toga's relationship comes around in the future. The story is slowly starting to gain traction in terms of pacing, and I am excited to write what's in store next. I have also made a new story cover because why not? I hope it fits the theme a bit better. Thanks for supporting and reading **_**Villain of Tomorrow**_**. See you in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6: League of Villains

Izuku sat in his room staring at the phone he was given by the mysterious man in the mask he had met last night. "It's finally happening," Izuku emphasized. He did not know if he could trust anyone, especially the man who had offered him a quirk.

"The leader of a group of villains wants me to join him. He mentioned Muscular, which means that they most likely saw my notebook." Izuku snickered. His plan had somehow worked, though he never expected it to happen so quickly.

He twirled a pencil in his hand, the clock read four minutes until 5 PM. Izuku picked up the phone, flipping it open. One contact was seen on the list with a phone number below it, but no name was written down.

Izuku knew it was a burner phone, deciding to write down the number in case anything happened to it. "I wonder if the leader will pick up, this is just too exciting." He rolled around in his bed with enthusiasm, burying his face into a pillow. "Two more minutes, two more minutes!"

"Quirks. They definitely will have some interesting ones," Izuku said with a muffled voice.

The sunset had begun to gloom over Izuku's bedroom. Posters that surrounded his walls were nowhere to be seen, figurines and other merchandise on his desk and shelves were thrown away. The room was bland, yet it made Izuku happier. The hero who Izuku believed in and worshipped was now a memory he wanted to bury deep inside his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget it.

Izuku took a deep breath before lifting his face from the pillow. Thirty seconds. Izuku quickly rose up in a sitting position, he stared at the contact, his finger hovered over the dial button.

_Click. _

Izuku pressed the pink phone against his ear, waiting for a response. Five seconds past, then ten. He was worried no one would answer until he heard a phone get picked up on the receiving end.

"Hello?" Izuku asked without skipping a beat.

"I am assuming this is Midoriya," said a scrambled voice.

"Yes, it is," Izuku replied. "_Man, they are crafty."_

"My Master had informed me to notify you of where he wishes you to go. Specifically, today," the voice spoke with cool courtesy. "We expect you to be there no later than two hours."

"Ok, where do I need to go?" Izuku asked, his hands trembled.

"I will provide you with the address in the form of a text momentarily."

The call ended before Izuku could reply. He looked at the phone screen, shortly after a message appeared showing an address.

"Ok, time to go," Izuku said. He grabbed a knife he had taken earlier from the kitchen. Izuku rolled up his shirt, revealing a makeshift holster that sat around his hip. Izuku shrugged before putting the knife inside.

"Getting really tired of people walking up on me unannounced," he said as he put on a grey sweater. "I don't really know what to expect, but it's better than being empty-handed."

* * *

Izuku arrived towards the street he was given. The sky had grown dark, droplets of rain began to hit his face. In the alleyway, stood a moderately sized commercial building, showing no signs of any villainous activity around it.

"Just a normal building… Don't know what I was expecting," Izuku said, almost laughing to himself.

He walked over to it, noticing there were only two entrances. Izuku glanced upwards, a security camera stared at him with a tinted red glow. He stepped over to one door and attempted to open it, yet the handle stood in place.

Izuku looked to the right, noticing a post-box resting inside the brick wall. He stood for a second before realizing what it was there for. Izuku shifted over to the box and opened it, revealing a shaft that exited through the other side.

"Makes sense," Izuku said. He grabbed the phone from his pocket. "I guess they want this back."

He placed it inside and closed the hatch, waiting for a response. The rain had grown heavier, pouring down relentlessly on his hair and clothing as Izuku waited for what seemed an eternity. The door handle rattled after a few seconds passed, a voice was heard inside right after, "Come in."

Izuku grabbed the door handle and opened the door, which caused the joints to creak loudly.

"Welcome to the League of Villains," said a tall figure in a formal suit, bowing towards Izuku.

Izuku slowly closed the door behind him, attempting not to make any more noise than necessary. Before he could close the door fully, one of the hinges ripped apart from the wall. Izuku ducked in time as the door swung back open, only to be stopped from falling to the ground from the bottom hinge that stood untouched.

Izuku looked at the man in front of him, then to the door, and back to the man again. "Uh, D-d, I… That wasn't supposed to happen," Izuku blurted out. He attempted to put the door back into its place, only for it to fall down again.

"This building is a little rundown. Do not worry about it," said the man.

Izuku looked back and noticed the person speaking to him had features that were different for a regular human to have.

"The name is Kurogiri, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Izuku was still embarrassed from what transpired, he looked towards Kurogiri with a nervous smile. "Midoriya, nice to meet you as well."

"Follow me, the Master wishes to see you," Kurogiri said. They walked through a hallway before entering a lounge with a bar on the right, several unfinished drinks stood on the counter. Kurogiri shifted his head to the direction of Izuku. "I take it you do not intend on doing anything out of the ordinary?"

Izuku looked at the fog coming out of Kurogiri's white collar, a cold smile appeared on his face, yet his light-hearted tone had not changed. "Of course not, I do not wish to cause any more trouble."

Kurogiri felt a slight change in character from the boy behind him but chose to ignore it. He faced towards a man that sat in one of the couch sofas.

"Twice, we've run into a little accident at the front door," Kurogiri said with a calm voice, pointing to the hallway from where they had entered from. "Would you please fix it?"

Twice instantly stood up, his mask was not able to cover the happiness he got from someone remembering his name. "Sure thing my man," he said, running past them while humming a song.

Izuku observed the man in black spandex run towards the entrance. Izuku stared with confusion as Twice began to skip in long strides, arguing with himself if he was pretty.

"Don't bother with him," Kurogiri sighed, he shook his head. "He's had a troubled past, but Twice proved himself to be quite useful for us."

"I would imagine," Izuku responded.

"Well then, it's best we do not keep the Master waiting," Kurogiri resumed. "Enter the door to your left, he'll greet you shortly." Kurogiri walked over to the bar, he grabbed the glasses and went to the sink to wash them.

"_Very down to earth place,_" Izuku thought without a second to spare. "_Aren't they worried I'll do something?_"

Izuku circled towards the door Kurogiri told him to enter but was interrupted by a group of people talking, seemingly getting louder as they approached the lounge from another hallway. Before he could turn the handle, his eyes opened as he saw the girl he had met last night, walk towards the bar.

"_Oh Jesus,_" Izuku said to himself, attempting to open the door without alerting her.

"And so, like I saw this cute boy and I really wanted to mess him up, but you know… I guess it can't be helped that we were in a public place," Toga explained, before letting out an angry cry. "And you know what? I gave him my phone number, and he hasn't even called me yet! Isn't he stupid Dabi?"

Dabi looked at Toga with a defeated look, "Haven't you already told me this around FIVE times today? At this point, I think I know how he looks better than I do myself." He shifted one hand across the front of his black hair.

The sound of a door opening caught Dabi's attention immediately. He looked at who it was before he pieced it together. Dabi pointed towards Izuku. "Wait, isn't that him?"

Toga instantly turned around to face the door Izuku opened. Her face blushed, "Izuku! What are you doing here? I was worried you'd never call."

Toga attempted to walk forward but was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming shut. She stood in place silently.

"Hey! Come back here!" Toga shouted, instantly running towards the door. She was stopped by Dabi grabbing onto her school uniform.

"Wait," Dabi commanded. "That room is off limits."

Toga looked at Dabi with an annoyed face. "Then why is he going in there?"

"That is because the Master requested it," Kurogiri said behind the counter, wiping a glass with a towel in his hands. He had seen the entire situation unfold.

"Why? I haven't even seen the leader personally myself," Toga retorted. "Just who is that handsome, mysterious boy?"

"Interesting that you should ask. A few people including Master had taken an interest in him. Possibly he will be recruited into the League."

Toga's face grew even redder. "Oh? So, he's a bad boy?" She placed both of her hands on her cheeks. "Sneaky little guy, you like playing tricks huh."

Dabi let go of Toga after realizing she would no longer attempt to follow after the boy. "Izuku…" Dabi muttered, he was definitely interested as well as to why the leader took an interest in him.

"If we're recruiting kids like him, that means he's a little different," Dabi pointed out. "Kurogiri, how much do you know about him?"

Kurogiri looked at the door before placing the glass on the counter. "From what I understand. His ability is to analyse quirks and then determine their value. Which the man who recruited you, personally said he was outmatched in that regard."

"As for the rest, I do not know, but there must be something else, I'd have to say."

Dabi readjusted his jacket, he sat down by the counter. "Different indeed, I can definitely see that now." He ran his finger across the table, swiping it up afterwards. "I am not going to be able to refrain her once he comes out. If he comes out."

Kurogiri laughed. "He should be fine. I cannot really read into his personality, but he gives off that aura."

"He does now?" Dabi asked with a curious expression. "Very interesting."

* * *

Izuku stood inside an empty room with two wooden chairs fixed in the middle, facing each other at a close distance. A small lamp burned brightly, illuminating the walls and floor. Izuku moved his eyes to spot anything out of the ordinary but did not find anything. He walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

Izuku waited for a while before a portal appeared behind the other chair. The masked figure Izuku met last night approached towards him.

"I apologise for my tardiness. Lately, there have been a few changes in the schedule."

"Oh no, it's fine," Izuku paused for a moment, waving his arms. "I just got here."

"Well I am glad you have decided to consider my offer," the man said. "I understand you came here because you wish to join us?"

"I do," Izuku said, "but I still have some questions. Everything you told me sounds way too good to be true, and quite honestly I can't trust you or anyone else here."

"A fair reason. I suppose it would be better to make you trust me as soon as possible. I go by the name of All for One, however, I ask that you do not go around spreading that name. Take it as you wish, but me wanting to recruit you is genuine."

"Is that because you saw the notebook Muscular took from me?" Izuku asked. He saw his reflection through All for One's mask, it did not seem so far that the leader was lying to him.

"Impressive young man, but I did give you hints regarding that," All for One told him. "That is one of the reasons why I want you, but the other is a bit more complicated."

Izuku had his suspicions from the last comment. "What do you mean by complicated?" he asked, shifting one leg on top of the other.

"I want you here also because of the potential inside of you. I have never seen anyone else exert that type of promise," All for One said, only speaking half the truth. His smile lay unseen behind the mask blocking his face. "By giving you a quirk, all I ask is that you work for us. A small price to pay back."

Izuku knew he was being flattered. "Seems awfully nice of you to be giving me so much."

All for One chuckled. "See, that is what I like about you. Behind the little scared kid act you pull, lays a dormant power of emotion that has been cultivated through years of pain and suffering," he said, "there is no need to put on this act in front of me." He crossed his arms around his chest. "I had planned to confront you about this later, but I see now that it is best to clear that up with you. You have already shown me glimpses of it."

The boy sat motionless upon hearing what All for One said to him. The silence was broken after Izuku's eyes looked at him coldly. "I guess I didn't try hard enough," Izuku said, changing his tone. His nervous attitude had completely disappeared. "You seem to know a lot about me, but I can't deny that I am not happy about this opportunity." He lifted his sweater, taking out the knife from its holster, dropping it into the ground.

"I apologise for being suspicious, granted that I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it anyway."

All for One looked down at the knife. Even he was surprised at how sudden and different Izuku appeared. "You are right that it would not have made a difference," All for One said calmly. "Even someone with a quirk would not make it out alive from this building if they attacked us."

"I know right?" Izuku said, smiling at the mask, "Well I am not stupid enough to actually do that. I am just glad someone has taken an interest in me so quickly."

"Oh? You mean to say you wanted this right off the start?" All for One asked with curiosity.

"I suppose. However, I didn't have anyways of confirming the existence of a villain organisation," Izuku responded.

All for One clapped slowly. "You really are interesting Izuku Midoriya," he said lightheartedly. "I will give you the opportunity to seek retribution." All for One stood up from his chair, walking up to the boy.

Izuku stood still. All for One moved his arm, placing it on top of Izuku's head.

"Is something suppo-" Izuku felt a sharp jolt run across his body. The pain caused him to fall to the ground, he was unable to move no matter how much he attempted to thrash around. Izuku began to breathe heavily, his head diffused all five of his sensations.

The last thing Izuku heard was All for One's chilling laughter.

Izuku opened his eyes, noticing that he sat on his chair once more. He could make out All for One pacing around slowly, which made Izuku assume he was waiting for him. Izuku's pain subsided, but his head and body still felt sluggish. He moved his head from his shoulder.

All for One noticed. He moved the chair and sat down. "Glad to see you alive and kicking."

"You could have warned me," Izuku said. He attempted to clear his mind. "That hurt like hell."

"Did you expect me to give you a cookie and have it eaten with some tea?" All for One asked.

Izuku smirked, "Of course not. But what did you do to me?"

"I've given you a quirk of course, and one that would fit you very well. Given all of the things you have experienced," All for One declared. "If you learn how to wield it properly, then I doubt anyone would want to fight you."

Izuku coughed, looking at All for One. "Even you?"

"Already turning into a comedian I see," All for One laughed, dismissing the question. The echo rattled among the room, bouncing from the concrete ceiling. A smile exited from his lips, he could not imagine how much the boy would prove useful to him.

"I think it would be best for you to figure out the quirk yourself. I have only recently acquired it, so I do not know everything about it," he specified. "Your body should be able to move in a little bit."

A gate appeared beside All for One, he paused before entering it. "Oh, and I think a good name for your quirk would be Reciprocity. Use it well." He stepped through the portal, disappearing into the void.

"_Reciprocity?_" Izuku asked to himself. "_Like exchanging gifts between one another?_" He stopped to think, "_But that wouldn't make any sense._"

Over time Izuku began to feel the sensation of his body. Gradually he was able to move his toes, and then stand up from his chair. Izuku stumbled, almost crashing into the wall.

"_Great,_" he thought. "_In for a real ride here._"

Izuku was finally able to regain his footing. He looked at the door from where he had come through earlier, he had no other option than to open it.

"Welcome back Midoriya," Kurogiri said, "I take it that if you are still alive, you have been accepted."

"Yes, that is right," Izuku said, his legs were still wobbling. "Say, can I get a glass of water?"

Kurogiri was not certain why the boy stumbled. He felt Izuku stare at him with unnerving attention.

"I'll make it right away," Kurogiri said with hesitation, it was as if a completely different person was standing in front of him.

Izuku walked closer to the counter, noticing a man with black hair holding a drink. "The name is Dabi," he said. "And I'd advice you turn around before it is too late."

Izuku heard a shout behind him. He quickly moved to his left, dodging someone charging at him at full speed.

The person smashed into the counter with their head, falling down to the ground. This caused Kurogiri to jump in terror from the noise, he then realized that his precious bar had possibly been damaged.

"Oww," Toga groaned, rubbing the front part of her head. "Why did you dodge me?" she asked.

Izuku stood in bewilderment as the girl rose up, completely ignoring the fact that her forehead was bleeding immensely.

Kurogiri rushed frantically to find a towel. He was not going to let the table drip any blood onto the carpet.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked with disinterest.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Toga replied. "Completely fine and dandy!"

Izuku looked at Toga, not knowing how to respond. He had purposefully tried to avoid her, but he was left staring at her face that was covered in blood.

"Why didn't you call me?" Toga asked. "Are you trying to play hard to get?"

She then slapped Izuku in the face. Resulting in her covering her cheek from the sudden sharp pain she felt. Izuku turned his head to face Toga after being hit. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, revealing an irked look. He was interrupted suddenly by Toga.

"Ouch, why did that hurt me?" Toga asked with perplexity. She looked at Izuku before a smile formed on her lips. "This makes me excited!"

Toga was immediately grabbed by Dabi and pulled back. "Idiot, don't you realise what he would have done if you kept provoking him?"

"Huh?" Toga inquired, looking up towards Dabi standing behind her. "What do you mean?"

Dabi looked at Izuku, "He's not the same person you met before."

"What. So, you mean he really is a bad boy?" asked Toga, not paying attention to Dabi's warning.

Before Dabi could explain what he had seen. Izuku smiled, putting his hand up to show no aggression. "It's fine. I appreciate the concern you have for her, but I won't do anything."

Dabi looked at Izuku, still grabbing onto Toga. He did not know what the boy was thinking of. Only that for a split second he showed murderous intent stronger than anywhere he had seen.

"Alright," Dabi replied back to Izuku, releasing Toga back down. "My bad for stopping your little lover's quarrel."

Toga looked at Izuku happily, "He called us lovers!" She squealed, covering her face in excitement.

Izuku shifted his head, the sudden anger he felt earlier had completely disappeared. He reached into his pocket, taking out a handkerchief. "Here, take this and wipe the blood off your face." Izuku did not know how to feel around her.

**A/N: Izuku finally gets his quirk and it's something I believe that would play out very interestingly. I will dive in more as to what his power and limitations are as we keep going in further. As always, thanks for reading the chapter and I hope you have a wonderful day/night.**


	7. Chapter 7: Gatemaster

"Izuku, you'll be late for school if you don't wake up," Inko shouted, loud enough for him to hear.

Izuku grunted, he barely slept the night before. After running in with the League of Villains and ultimately joining them, he was told to meet one of the members back at the location the next following day.

"_And to top it off,_" Izuku thought, "_All for One actually gave me a quirk. How could he even do that?_"

His mind could barely contain the excitement of figuring it out fully. Izuku moved his left hand that rested on his bed and reached out to the ceiling as far as he could. He felt that he made actual progress into fulfilling his dream.

"To think so many people would become heroes only for the sake of fame," Izuku said quietly. "Ironic that they call themselves that when they care more about themselves. Or even worse, hurt others because they feel more superior."

Izuku laughed at the idea of Katsuki becoming a hero, and all the classmates that shunned him once they learned he had no quirk. Izuku stared at his protruding hand, before dropping it back down. His mind jumped back onto the conversation he had with All for One.

Izuku remembered the man hinting to him of what his quirk did. It had finally dawned on Izuku what All for One meant when he called it Reciprocity.

"It most likely happened when I got hit by Toga," Izuku pondered, raising his chest up from the bed. "When I got slapped by her, it was obvious that she felt pain the same time I did."

"Does that mean people feel the same pain if they physically hurt me?"

"Izuku!" The door to his room busted open, with his mother looking at him with an angry face. "I don't know what's been going on with you lately, but you're going to miss school if you don't leave in a few minutes," she said frantically. Inko looked at the room for the first time in a while. "What happened to all of your All Might merchandise?"

He looked at his mom before exhaling deeply. "I grew out of it Mom."

Inko looked at Izuku with a surprised gaze, then realizing she was holding him up from getting ready. "We're going to have a talk about all of this after school when you get back," she said, closing the door with a loud bang.

Inko was aware of her son acting strange ever since the incident that took place with Katsuki's death. She was worried that it had affected her son much deeper than she initially thought. "_Is he getting enough sleep? He seems completely out of it lately,_" Inko thought to herself. She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed Izuku's lunch.

In his room, Izuku had put on his school uniform. He had forgotten what his mother told him. His only thoughts raced on the conceptualization of the new quirk he was given, and what he was to do this following afternoon.

He stopped to look at the mirror on the wall out of habit. It was a routine tradition for him to look at it every morning and tell himself he could be a hero.

"Not anymore I can't," Izuku muttered. He had thrown that life away, there was no turning back.

Inko marched over to her son's door upon realizing he had not exited yet. She opened it, revealing Izuku holding his hand near the handle.

"Oh, well glad to see you waking up," Inko apologized, handing him the lunch box. She looked at Izuku's face, yet felt no emotional response come out of him.

In that moment, she suddenly believed she had seen her son show a regretful look. But Izuku stopped her train of thoughts by hugging her unexpectedly. He did not say a word, only letting go of her once she repeated to him multiple times that he would be late.

* * *

Izuku stepped out of the apartment door, it was the last time he would ever see that place he thought. Izuku knew she cared for him on the outside level, never saying the things he needed to hear when he was depressed. But it was difficult to say goodbye to his mother. He did not wish to cause her any more trouble.

"I will never bother you again," Izuku said quietly, walking out of the apartment lobby. He knew him leaving would make his mother worry even more, but it was better than her finding out who he had become.

The morning had grown bitter cold outside. Izuku shifted his arms closer to his jacket, his legs grew sore as he treaded towards the hideout. "This better work out well," Izuku said bitterly.

He walked by the towering buildings covering the street below, wearing a face mask and hat that covered his hair. Preventing potential onlookers from recognizing him if the police put up a missing poster.

Several police sirens were heard in the distance, gradually getting louder. Izuku looked, seeing several police cars race past him on the road to a distant fire.

"Another villain attack?" asked one man to a woman. "It's awfully getting more frequent."

"I wonder if All Might will save the day," she replied with hope.

Izuku passed by them, pushing his head down as they looked at him for a moment. Izuku sighed with relief upon realizing they turned back to face the fire, still pointing towards the smoke that rose higher into the air.

No matter how hard Izuku tried, the name All Might echoed in his mind. Izuku remembered the man standing above him, telling him it was impossible to become a hero.

"_It's not like he was wrong,_" Izuku said to himself. Somewhere deep inside his heart, he still believed that All Might was the perfect hero the world never deserved.

Eventually, Izuku approached the hideout, opening the door with a key Kurogiri had given him earlier. He could see the bartender pacing behind the bar, occasionally moving bottles around the shelves.

"Welcome back," Kurogiri said, upon noticing Izuku's arrival. "Giran is already here, but he told me to tell you to wait here until he comes back."

Izuku nodded and walked over to one of the couches. He noticed another person sitting in a carefree position, twirling a knife in his hands. Izuku sat down, not paying much attention to him.

"So, you really did join us?" the man asked with a condescending tone.

Izuku turned to face him. "Is that a problem?"

"Not necessarily, but I do not trust you Izuku Midoriya," said the man. "What proof is there that you really are one of us?"

"No need to show hostility Tomura. Save the little games for later," Giran said, coming into view. "He might be new, but I'll show him the ropes around here."

Tomura scoffed at Giran's comment. He placed the knife into a sheath, before tossing it at the coffee table. He looked at Izuku, "You are useless to me Midoriya. Don't expect me to buddy up with you just because Master took an interest in you."

Tomura stood up and left the bar, grabbing onto his neck. Giran walked over to Izuku, pointing to the knife. "I believe that is him declaring to you to prove yourself."

Izuku thought to himself as to how much of a child the man named Tomura acted in front of him. "And why should I take it seriously?" Izuku asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was held as an object ridiculed among most of you."

Giran smirked. "That may be so, but the boss wishes him to take the mantle in the near future. Best just to stay back and let him do his thing for now."

"For now?" Kurogiri asked him with a concerned voice. He had known Tomura ever since All for One brought him in as a child.

"Kurogiri, you're misinterpreting what I meant," Giran said, sighing audibly. He took out a cigarette pack from his jacket. "Tomura acts like a child often, but hopefully with his new position that will change for the better."

Kurogiri loosened his shoulders. "I see, sorry about that."

Giran placed a cigarette in his mouth, bringing a lighter in between his hands. He opened the top of the metal case, sliding his thumb over the ignition. A puff of smoke came out from his nose. "I suppose we should start heading out young man, otherwise we'll be running late on time."

Izuku rose up from the sofa, "Of course, uhm," he paused.

Giran heaved another puff of smoke. "You can call me Giran, it doesn't matter to me," he said, turning towards the exit. "Oh, and I think that knife is yours now. He did a similar thing to other recruits recently."

"No harm in that then," Izuku said casually. He picked up the holster and placed it in his pocket.

* * *

Izuku followed Giran into the entrance of a skyscraper he had never been in before. The staff whispered and hurried around after noticing Giran stepping in. Izuku was curious at the sight.

"Do they know you?" Izuku asked.

"To some degree," Giran admitted. "Granted it's only from a business perspective. They are not aware of the organisation."

They continued to walk to the front desk until the receptionist greeted them. "Welcome back Sir."

Giran nodded, looking at the man's face. "Is it alright if I smoke here?"

The receptionist stared at Giran with a blank look, regaining his composure immediately after. "Of course. Sir, you are one of our most valued partners. You need not even ask."

"No need to be so stoic. Let the old man joke around a little," Giran said, looking at Izuku to see a response. "Well anyways, I am here for a little shopping." He slid over a piece of paper on the table.

The receptionist glanced at it before smiling. "Glad to have you back. Please head over to the 23rd floor, and one of our associates will greet you there."

"Splendid," Giran replied.

"Sir." They were interrupted by the receptionist looking over the counter. "Is this boy with you?"

"Yes, yes he is." Giran smiled, revealing one of his front teeth missing. He gestured over Izuku to follow him.

The receptionist turned back towards his computer, grabbing onto a phone.

Izuku accompanied Giran over to a large elevator. "I hope that won't be a problem?" he asked.

"It's fine. I suppose they are surprised to see me not come alone here for once," Giran said amusingly. He pressed a button, calling down the elevator.

Izuku was amazed at what he had witnessed earlier. "_Why was Giran known around here, and why so publicly?_" Izuku thought with perplexity.

"Giran, was there a reason for you bringing me here?"

Giran looked at the boy beside him. "Of course there is. I brought you here because of your unique talents. But most importantly to prepare you for what you are going to face down the line."

A noise was heard above them, indicating that the elevator arrived. The doors opened, with a security guard stepping out. Bowing the moment he saw Giran.

"There will be no need to join us," Giran said to the bodyguard, gesturing that they wanted to be left alone.

"As you wish Sir."

Giran and Izuku stepped into the elevator. "I suppose I can now tell you why we are here," Giran told him. "The boss wants to get you some proper equipment, as he told me your quirk is centred more on the defensive side."

Izuku looked at the elevator door, he could barely make out his reflection.

Giran continued. "This place will provide you with everything you need once you meet your actual instructor. I initially wanted to have you work alongside me, but I feel that your expertise would serve better in another field."

In hindsight, Giran had an underlining feeling that the boy would overshadow his own work, but he saw potential in training him as something even more terrifying. "_With his young age, it's definitely still possible to mould him,_" Giran thought, smiling at what the boy beside him could become.

Izuku had not given much thought at what Giran implied, yet he was still excited at the new life he was given. Izuku's line of thought was suddenly interrupted.

"I was impressed to find out that your analysis skills had nothing to do with your actual quirk. How did you manage to do that?"

"Well, I have always had a fascination for understanding quirks better. It's something I started doing ever since I was little."

Giran laughed. He was surprised at how unbelievable Izuku's answer was. "You really do surprise me, young man," he said, looking at the floor indicator above him.

"We're almost here. And one last thing." Giran turned towards the boy. "I suggest you come up with an alias for yourself whenever you have the chance. Don't want to be spreading your actual name around."

Izuku thought to himself. A codename was something he definitely needed if he wished to keep his identity safe.

They were greeted by a woman in her thirties as soon as the elevator doors slid open.

"The Gatemaster is waiting for you. Please follow me."

Giran glanced at Izuku, raising his eyebrows. "I'll do the talking. Only speak if they address you." He walked out of the elevator with Izuku following after him.

The woman opened a large set of wooden doors, revealing a wide circular room with an assortment of priceless furniture and paintings. In the middle stood the Gatemaster, adjusting his glasses. He placed a glass of whiskey on a stand to his left.

"Good afternoon Mr Giran. It's been a long time," said the Gatemaster, crossing his hands together. "What brings you here today?"

"I've brought someone along that I wish to be put in your care," Giran responded. He looked at the glass of alcohol, a large smile appeared. "You know me so well."

"Naturally," the Gatemaster said. He then focused his attention on Izuku. "And what sort of setup would this gentleman require?"

"Go through the usual," Giran noted, "but a quick and aggressive style would fit better I believe."

"Understood. Young man, please follow me."

Izuku looked towards Giran. "It's fine, I'll follow in once I finish that drink," Giran said.

Izuku followed the Gatemaster at a distance. They arrived at another set of doors, at which two servants opened sharply.

"An aggressive approach," the Gatemaster said quietly to himself. "In that case, I assume you have all the other bases covered."

Izuku attempted to respond but was left in a momentary shock from what the room presented. An assortment of weapons spanned across one wall. To his left, stood an old man wearing a tailored suit, patiently waiting for his cue.

The Gatemaster turned to face the old man, "Richard, we'll start off with the attire. Take your time with him."

The old man nodded, gesturing Izuku to come up to him.

"Please sit," he said with a raspy voice.

Izuku was not able to make sure of what he had witnessed in the span of five seconds. He never knew this kind of world existed.

"Please lift up your arms," Richard said, taking out measuring equipment. He wrote down the sizes spanning across Izuku's body.

The Gatemaster watched with interest at the boy who sat on the opposite side of the room. "_Certainly, surprising that someone of his age has come here,_" he thought. "_Giran must have taken a real interest in him._"

Richard patted Izuku's upper shoulder with a mock-up suit. "I believe…" he paused, looking at Izuku's form. "That a vest would suit you well."

Izuku had no reason to question the man behind him. As he had no experience or proper opinions on the matter. The old man removed the piece of clothing from Izuku. He walked over to the Gatemaster with a piece of paper.

"You may leave Richard, thank you."

Richard bowed. Only leaving Izuku with the enigmatic man sitting in the corner.

"Well then, I believe it is time for the final portion. Always my favourite."

The Gatemaster placed his cigar on a desk. He stood up and walked over to the wall covered in weapons. "I am certain this is your first time seeing a gun, given the reaction you displayed earlier. However, I take it that you might have some preference?"

"I wouldn't know," Izuku responded silently.

"No matter," the Gatemaster said. "We'll start by looking at the sidearms."

A voice appeared by the door, "The best option for him." Giran leaned across the door, waving the finished glass.

The Gatemaster nodded. "In that case, we'll start by looking at something more compact." He moved his hand across several pistols, before selecting one, he moved forward and brought it to Izuku.

"This is the HK VP9SK, manufactured and built in Germany. It's a semi-automatic handgun with a 9mm caliber. Its design features ambidextrous controls, with twenty-seven customizable grip configurations. It comes in with standard iron sights and a new feature called charging supports. The magazines carry ten bullets, but we've found it able to hold eleven. A decent starter gun if you ask me."

Izuku stared at it blankly, barely being able to understand the information the man spewed out.

Giran laughed at the situation that unfolded. He picked his way carefully towards them. "He'll take that one. We're not the type of people to question your expertise," Giran said.

"Very well," said the Gatemaster. "Where would you like us to send everything to? The usual?"

"Yes," Giran told him. "However, I ask that you provide triple the amount of ammunition."

The Gatemaster nodded, placing the gun back onto the wall. "Then I bid to both of you farewell and a good day."

As they exited the room, Giran immediately wrapped his arm around Izuku's shoulder. "Not bad kid. Let's head back and meet the person who will be training you."

* * *

Inko sat in her living room, expecting her son to arrive soon. She still did not know how she would handle the situation properly, only playing out the scenarios in her head.

A sudden ring from the home telephone caught her off guard. Inko stumbled towards the phone, picking it up with frantic breathing.

"Hello, this is the Midoriya household," Inko said, holding the phone with both of her hands.

"I am the vice-principal from Aldera Junior High. Am I speaking to Ms Inko Midoriya?"

Inko was not certain why the school called her. "Yes, this is. Is everything alright with my son?"

"Miss, that is the reason for our call. Your son Izuku Midoriya was absent from school today. We are calling to confirm with you if he was not present due to an illness or other reason."

"Izuku left for school this morning," Inko said with a confused look. "He should've been at school. Are you sure it's not just a mistake on your end?"

The phone stayed quiet for a while. "It says here he hadn't arrived through the gate this morning. Which is confirmed through his homeroom teacher's attendance sheet. We also reviewed them for the other classes, and it plays out the same story."

Inko was in shock, she did not know what to do. "Since this is his first offence, we only wish to give Izuku a warning. Please let him know that absences without reasoning will not be tolerated. Thank you, have a good day."

The phone line died right after. Inko recalled her son's odd behaviour earlier in the morning.

"Izuku," Inko grieved. Tears began to swell in her eyes. "What happened?"

Her body instinctively moved towards her room. She opened her cupboard drawer, revealing the business card of the detective she last met with Izuku the week before.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it and now it only leaves for a lot more things to be addressed as the story goes on. Can't thank everyone enough for reading and it always makes me excited to see you guys follow and leave comments/reviews. It's always my favourite part, regardless of the context. Love you guys.**


	8. Chapter 8: Zero

"This is where I drop you off," Giran said as the lights began to glow around them. "Your new equipment should arrive by the end of the week."

"I take it I won't have to wait long for my instructor?" Izuku asked with just the hint of a smile.

Giran placed a hand over the top of his forehead. "Listen, kid," he said. "If I were you, I'd take all the time to relax before he comes."

Izuku sat on a small workbench staring at his feet. He could tell Giran was serious. "Is it really that bad?" Izuku asked softly.

"It's worse than whatever you can imagine inside your head," Giran said. "If you survive these upcoming months. Then I guarantee you'll come out as a completely different person."

Izuku had a feeling of what Giran and All for One had decided on for his future in the organisation. He wished it had been done with less secrecy. "Am I being trained to make up for what I lack with my quirk?" he asked.

"That is correct, Midoriya," Giran replied. "The boss wishes for you to gain experience in actual offensive and defensive combat. And with my suggestion, a few more things are being thrown in there for you to learn. That is why I called him here." His voice echoed through the large room.

"And one more thing," Giran stepped over to the exit. "Your teacher has a reputation for never having even one of his students stay alive past the second week. Make sure not to disappoint us."

Izuku looked at the underground expanse he entered moments earlier. It sported state of the art gym equipment, a fitness area with combat dummies, a shooting range, and many other things Izuku had never seen before.

He heard the door open once more. A tall figure appeared, wearing a mask that covered the entire face. Izuku attempted to greet the mysterious person, yet he was unable to speak a word. The atmosphere in the room darkened as the man walked closer to Izuku.

"Is it you?" he asked with a chilling voice.

Izuku nodded. It was the first time he had felt frightened by someone after the incident with Katsuki.

The mask stared at Izuku with silence. "What is your quirk?"

Izuku shared his unease. He did not have the opportunity to figure out everything before. The man in front of him stood impatient, waiting for a response.

"I don't know much about it myself. But from what I gathered, any injury inflicted towards me from another person is sent to them as well."

"In that case, we will personally test it now," said the mask. Without pause, he stepped on the boy's shoes.

Izuku staggered back, audibly crying out in pain. The man looked at his foot. "Indeed, it is as you say," he said. "What else do you know?"

Izuku placed his right leg back on the ground, his foot still throbbed. "I don't know." Before he could say anything else, Izuku felt a sharp sting enter his left upper arm. Izuku dropped to his knees, gripping his injured arm with his other hand. Blood began to drip down to the floor, exiting a large wound.

The instructor stared at the knife he had thrown towards the boy. Taking a mental note of what he had witnessed.

"Alright, that is everything I need to know for now," the man said dryly.

The knife was buried deep inside Izuku's flesh, yet no matter how hard he tried to yell out, nothing came out of his mouth. Izuku shifted his head down, his sight grew dimmer as each second passed.

"Stand up."

Izuku could hear the man talking to him, but his mind refused to pay attention. He began to breathe heavily until all of a sudden, he felt his mind and body regain their composure. Izuku opened his eyes to find the man removing the blade out of his arm.

"The only reason why you are still awake is that I am able to inject adrenaline into your system," the man said, taking out a roll of bandages. "This is the one and only time where you get help from me. Whether you die or not during training is none of my concern. I still get paid. Is that clear?"

Izuku lifted his head, staring at the mask with animosity. "Yes sir," he replied back.

"Good. You have the mental fortitude, but everything else about you is weak," the masked man pointed out, tossing the bandages to Izuku's side. "Cover your wound to stop the bleeding. We will begin training in two minutes."

Izuku covered his arm frantically with the covers the man provided him with. Even though his body had been pumped full of adrenaline, the wound still caused immense pain. "_This resembles more of torture than training,_" Izuku thought, not knowing if he would make it out alive in the upcoming weeks. "_God damn Giran wasn't kidding when he said I should have taken my time to relax._"

He was interrupted once more by the man in the mask. "Do you know what I will be attempting to turn you into?" he inquired with an almost joyous tone. "I am training you to become a cold-blooded assassin. Not specifically the ones who kill left and right, blindly following orders they receive. No. You'll be the one that hunts those who kill." He grinned at Izuku. "The name is Zero, I look forward to seeing your progress."

He threw the knife at Izuku's feet, it was still covered in blood. "We will start with a sparring match. Try to kill me using the knife," Zero commanded.

Izuku picked up the dagger. He hesitated for a brief second before charging towards his teacher, pointing the edge of the blade towards Zero's chest. Izuku was instantly parried and thrown across the room, hitting the stone wall. The blowback caused Izuku to cough up blood, his arms shook wildly under his weight. Everything in his body hurt.

No matter how many times Izuku attempted to hit Zero, he found himself attempting to get back up on his feet.

"This is no good," Zero barked. He looked at Izuku with disgust. "No form at all. You only run towards me while dangling that knife like it's a toy."

Zero landed a kick into Izuku's stomach, causing the boy to fall down. Zero grabbed the knife from Izuku's hand before stabbing it into the mat floor, it stood one inch away from his face.

The mask moved over to Izuku's ear. "This is a weapon. Learn to use it like one."

Izuku stood up slowly, taking out the knife from the mat. Zero studied him. He noticed that the boy's reaction times were steadily getting faster with each attempt.

"Your quirk is useless if you cannot attack me or anyone else," Zero said. "You'll only be left as a punching bag."

Izuku regained his breathing. "You don't have to tell me that," he said after a moment. "I know I am weak."

"Why do you think this is important?" Zero asked. He pointed towards Izuku's chest. "Because if you train your body to overpower quirks by itself, and you combine it then with your powers. No one will be able to stop you."

Both of them faced each other, preparing for another standoff. "Only focus on using your body and mind," Zero stressed. He took out a switchblade from his back pocket. "This time I will be attacking back."

Izuku gulped. He did not have to imagine what the man would do if he failed to meet his expectations. He took a step forward before slowly circling around Zero, keeping the blade in front of his chest.

"_He's getting down the basics after just an hour of him studying me,_" Zero thought. "_He's a natural learner, but he still does not understand what it means to kill or be killed._" He knew that Izuku was instinctively avoiding to fatally harm him.

Izuku rushed his right hand forward, slicing downwards onto the stomach. Zero dodged in time, placing one foot back on the floor, kicking Izuku into the chest with his left leg. Izuku's body launched up into the air, his lungs grasped for anything they could find.

Zero closed in, slashing Izuku's chest with one clean swipe. "You are afraid of killing," Zero growled. "That needs to change." He brought down his hand, stabbing Izuku's left leg, twisting the knife inside.

Izuku screamed in pain as Zero pressed on harder. "Where did all of your spirit go?" Zero asked. He felt his leg burning. "You are nothing you understand?"

He watched as the boy gritted his teeth. "Just say that you give up and I'll stop," he said. In his mind, Zero was prepared to kill the boy by throwing the knife if it were to happen. To his surprise, Izuku sent a kick that forced him to let go of the handle.

Zero looked at his leg, only to see it bleeding. "That is one nasty quirk," he said calmly.

Izuku stared at Zero with rage. He left the switchblade protruding out of his leg, preparing for the next round.

"All right, that is enough sparring for today," Zero said.

Izuku refused to stop, he rose his arms up. Zero could see the boy's eyes give off murderous intent. "_He's in the zone,_" Zero said to himself. "_This kid really is something. He's not even afraid after everything I've done to him._"

Before Izuku could move, he was punched straight into the chest by Zero. He landed on his back, unable to move from the huge strain that was placed on his body.

"Big eye opener for how much my attacks hurt," said Zero, clutching his own chest. He walked over to Izuku who lay staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily. "Finally calmed down?"

Izuku did not respond, he could not talk even if he wanted to.

Zero sat down beside him, looking at the knife he stabbed Izuku earlier with. "He intentionally left it there, smart kid."

"In ten minutes, we'll be moving on to me actually teaching you proper fighting stances and techniques," Zero said, he looked at Izuku before removing the knife from the boy's leg. "As for your quirk, you should already know it's strengths and weaknesses by now. But I will say it anyway, so pay attention."

"Any direct physical contact from someone will result in them feeling the exact same pain your body does. This extends to any physical object as well, but only if the person is in direct contact with it when it hits you. When I threw the knife at you when we met, I felt nothing. But when I stabbed your leg, I got the same injury."

Izuku attempted to laugh but instead spurted out blood from his mouth. It began to cover his lips until a towel was thrown over his face. Zero looked at Izuku, the torn shirt revealed burns and scars across his entire torso.

"No wonder why you're so different from the rest," Zero noted. "Expect tomorrow to be harder."

Izuku could only think of how ridiculous it was for it to only be the first day of training. After everything he experienced with Zero, Izuku had never felt more alive.

He moved the towel away from his face. "Yes sir," Izuku muttered, smiling at the man.

* * *

The sounds of gunshots rattled across the room. Zero watched in silence as Izuku emptied an entire magazine into a target fifty yards away.

"You've gotten better, but you missed one shot from the heart," Zero pointed out.

Six months had passed since he started training Izuku. The boy that stood in front of him was no longer the same person he met when he first arrived. Cut off from the outside world, Izuku focused on training day and night. Learning how to expertly shoot guns, fight with a variety of close-combat weapons, and how to protect oneself barehanded. Along with other skills that would allow Izuku to stalk and observe targets.

Zero knew that his time was running out with the boy and that there were still many things for Izuku to learn. "In the end, it will all come down to getting more experience in real combat," Zero said quietly.

Izuku placed his pistol on the table, overhearing his teacher's comment. He turned to face him. "Sir, you make it sound as if what you taught me isn't as bad as what's out there."

"Yes and no, kid. There are many different types of people out there, quirks that might possibly overshadow you," Zero said. "You only get better at fighting that, when you do it for real."

Izuku looked at Zero, acknowledging his point. He wore a black suit vest the Gatemaster's company had made for him. Izuku had begun to wear it two months ago, and it still held up from the bashings he experienced every day.

"I'm surprised it's held up for so long," Zero said, pointing out Izuku's outfit. "The look of a true professional, and yet even it's durability surprises me," he said. "Where can I get one like that?"

"You would have to speak to Mr Giran about that sir. I had no part in making it."

"Speaking of that man," Zero remembered. He still wore his mask to protect his identity. "I've told him your training is complete with what limited time we had. I will be leaving today."

Izuku stared at the man who trained him to near death experiences several times. Even though it was hell to endure everything thrown at him, where at times Izuku wanted to murder that man. He still felt deep respect.

"Thank you for everything Zero," Izuku said, letting out a seemingly warm smile.

Zero was startled at Izuku calling him by his alias for the first time, but he felt the same.

"And thank you for the money!" Zero replied.

As they shook hands, both contemplated how they would kill each other in the near future.

* * *

Izuku sat on the couch beside the bar. It was the first time he had come back after he had been sent down to train. Kurogiri was seen wiping the already cleaned glasses for the third time.

"Sometimes I wish we had actual customers," said Kurogiri, "the bar is already small in itself."

"While I haven't seen a human face for half a year," Izuku teased him.

Kurogiri placed his hands on the bar counter. "Well in that case, why don't I catch you up on what's going on," he said sincerely.

"Alright," Izuku moved over to the bar seats. He readjusted the tie around his neck.

"Splendid choice on the outfit, not many go for that route anymore," said Kurogiri with pleasure. "Apart from the suit, I see that your demeanour has changed as well."

"That tends to happen when you're at death's door every minute," Izuku replied, placing his hands on his lap. "Now everything just seems clear to me, but it's difficult to explain."

"In other words, you've matured," Kurogiri chimed in. "It's quite obvious. Well anyways, glad to have you back."

Izuku smirked. Kurogiri had not changed at all since he last saw him. He had wondered what Giran was up to as well, "Probably smoking a cigarette somewhere."

"Hey Kurogiri, get me a pint of beer," shouted a voice in the distance. "Oh and look who it is."

Izuku turned around to find Muscular approach him. "Glad to see you actually alive and well you know, here," he said, laughing to himself.

"I haven't actually thanked you yet for introducing me here Muscular," Izuku said with a delighted look. He reached out his hand towards him.

"The pleasure is all mine," Muscular responded, shaking his hand. The force alone almost caused Izuku to fall off his seat. "Still writing down quirks and scaring the shit out of people?" he asked.

Izuku laughed, pausing to look at the wooden pattern on the table. "Not as of yet, haven't had the opportunity to."

Muscular stared at Izuku, and then to Kurogiri. "Haven't you told him what's coming up soon?" he asked with a confused expression.

"Well, I was about to until you came in and took the floor," Kurogiri countered. He placed the glass of beer in front of Muscular. "In the next few months, we'll be starting our advance and making a name for ourselves."

This caught Izuku's attention, he had always wondered what the League of Villain's major goal was. "Just for fame?" he asked Kurogiri.

"Not fully, but it's more about showing the world that the society of heroes is that of a broken system."

"It means we get to kill people," Muscular said with excitement, "Almost anyone we want."

Izuku stayed quiet, there were definitely people he knew deserved what was coming for them, but he also did not want to involve innocent people getting mixed inside the crossfire. "_It's heroes that act for their self-interests… that I want to deal with personally,_" he thought.

The bar phone rang. Kurogiri walked over and picked it up, listening for a few seconds before closing the line. "The Master wishes to speak with you as soon as possible Midoriya. Same room as last time if you remember."

This excited Izuku. He had been preparing to do something meaningful ever since he had joined. It was his chance to make a good first impression on the man who had given him his quirk. Izuku stood up and walked over to the door, waving goodbye to the bar.

Inside, stood a desk with a television monitor that was turned on. In the background, Izuku could make out a figure that was sitting in a giant chair, waiting for him.

"Welcome, welcome Izuku Midoriya," it said, "it has truly been a while since we last spoke. Please, take a seat."

"All for One, was there a reason for calling me?" Izuku asked impatiently, barely holding in his enthusiasm.

"There is always a reason if I am involved," All for One stated. "I see that you have completed your assimilation into the league. And so, I am here to inform you of two tasks I wish you to complete. One is short-term, and the other one a bit more complicated."

"Of course, what would you like me to do?" Izuku asked.

All for One moved his hands across the screen. "For the first task, you and Toga Himiko will be subduing and eliminating two heroes, that of which I will provide you with the names for tomorrow. The other I will explain to you in more detail once you return but know that it will be an infiltration mission that only you can pull off."

"That is all. You may rest for tonight," All for One advised. "I will send Kurogiri all of the details you will need for the job."

"Understood," Izuku responded immediately. The conversation was short, yet Izuku was delighted.

**A/N: Not much to say for this chapter apart from just major plot points being set up. We get to see a bit more character progression with Izuku and how that will now translate with his work and relationships with other characters. Thanks for reading as always and leaving a comment/review. Love you all.**


	9. Chapter 9: First Task

Sometime late in the evening, Izuku had left the hideout with Toga. He looked at the paper Kurogiri handed him earlier, noting down their instructions. Izuku tapped on the paper, before placing it into his coat pocket.

"Our leader has made his intentions pretty clear," Izuku said, turning to face the girl beside him. "I thought we were supposed to kill them, but now I understand what he meant."

They were tasked with finding two heroes and bringing them back alive to the organisation, regardless of what state they were in. Izuku had heard one of their names in the past, he remembered writing down a detailed explanation of the hero's quirk.

Toga ran up to Izuku, hugging him suddenly. "That's the first thing you say to me after we haven't seen each other in a long time. Especially when we're finally alone?" She nudged her face into his shoulder.

Izuku pushed her forehead away with the tip of his finger, causing her to pull back. "As much as I appreciate you showing affection towards me Himiko. Now isn't the best time."

"I thought I told you already to call me Toga," she replied with puffed cheeks. "What's with you all the sudden, you know… changing the way you act and speak?" Deep inside her mind, she was thanking the gods for letting her be on a mission with him.

Izuku paused for a moment, resting his hand in front of his lips. "Yeah, sorry about that. When you first met me, that was me putting on a front semi-unconsciously." He gave off a fake smile. "Mostly so that others did not get suspicious of me."

"That sounds, sort of complicated," Toga said. "But you're still as cute as you were before. Your eyes really give off a menacing look now."

Izuku initially saw Toga as an annoying and unstable person, but over time had come to not mind her presence. Even though she flirted with him at any given opportunity, he still had to keep a watchful eye on her. "_Her fascination with blood and people getting hurt is beyond extreme,_" he thought to himself. "_She might actually stab me and call that a love tap._" He scoffed at the idea of her hurting herself from his quirk, "_She'd probably actually like that._"

"So, did they want me to do anything specific?" Toga asked, twirling her hair.

"Actually yes. I don't really understand, but it asks to collect a sample of blood from one of the heroes."

Toga's eyes lit up, her cheeks blushed even harder. "Finally! I'll have you know I love watching people bleed!" She then shifted her hands nervously in front of her cardigan. "But it will kind of be embarrassing with you watching me do it."

Izuku let out a surprised look, not knowing how to respond to what he had heard. "_What the hell is she even going to do?_" he thought nervously. "And why did she say it like that?"

Toga noticed the slight change of character from Izuku's usual cold appearance. She was not going to let her chance of teasing him get away. She took a few steps forward and turned around to block him.

"What? Is this going to be your first time?" She asked with a timid look.

"I… Uhm…" Izuku hesitated. "Like… W-what did… what?" His face flustered even more upon glancing at her face. He shouted inside his head, "This is not right!"

Izuku was interrupted from Toga bursting out with laughter. She pointed at him while trying to cover her face with her other hand, barely being able to keep her legs straight from what she had seen. "Ha-ha, the look on you just now! And what was up with the way you talked?"

Izuku turned his face away from embarrassment, "_Seriously, what's with this girl,_" he said to himself, regaining his composure shortly after. He shook his head in disappointment, thinking about how ridiculous he let the situation unfold itself.

"It's better that we keep on moving," he said, passing by Toga who began to wipe away tears from her eyes. "They'll be running through their scheduled patrol soon. We won't get another chance."

"Aww come on, I only wanted to have some fun," Toga retorted.

He looked towards Toga, paralyzing her movement. She had never seen Izuku's eyes stare at her that way. Toga had heard from Kurogiri what the boy beside her went through during training. She only saw bitterness and the eyes of somebody that did not give off a normal human appearance.

"We don't have time for this right now," Izuku said. He took out black leather gloves. "I believe I have made my intentions clear about wanting to get this task done without any problems. There is no room for error."

Toga gulped with unease as Izuku began to walk away, not waiting for a response from her. "Hey, wait up!" Toga cried out, running after him. She was curious and scared at the same time to find out what was coming.

* * *

"You know, with all things considered. I did not expect us to be doing this daily Miss Uwabami," said a young man, treading along behind her. He carried several shopping bags, barely keeping up. "Can you explain the reason for us doing this?"

"To catch villains of course," Uwabami said with a laugh, waving her long blonde hair away. 'I've got to keep my popularity afloat, otherwise modelling and just doing commercials won't be enough."

"I thought you said you'd help grow my fan base," the high school boy said. He wore a newly designed costume. "You told me this internship was going to be a lot safer."

Uwabami sighed. "Look, lately the media has been criticizing me, so I've decided to show the public that I truly care for their safety," she said with a mocking voice. "Deal with it for a few more days until we catch some poor fellow committing a crime. Afterwards, I'll show you around."

"Yes, Maam."

"Oh, and I'll be relying on your quirk to catch them," Uwabami said playfully, sticking out her tongue. She did not want to get her hands dirty.

They walked through the back alleyways in a poor district. Uwabami stared at the trash that was thrown across the path, this made her want to leave as quickly as possible.

"Uhm, Maam. Is it possible that we take a quick break? My arms feel like they are tearing themselves apart," the boy said with exhaustion. It was obvious that he had never trained extensively for any physical endurance.

"I don't mind, but just not in this filthy place." She stopped suddenly, the tips of her hair rose up. Sensing danger ahead of them, she raised her hand to alert the intern. "Wait Tsuyoshi. There is someone there, just standing and looking at us."

The intern yawned, "Where? I can't see that far away in the dark." He placed the shopping bags on the ground. "Are you sure it's not just your imagination or some kind of cat just passing along?"

He waited for Uwabami to reply yet was met with silence. "Maam, is everything alright?"

In front of her, she could sense a relentless murderous aura that seemed fixated on her, not giving up for as long as she waited for it to pass. She finally managed the urge to speak, her eyes shook in fear. "Who are you? What do you want?"

They could hear silent footsteps approach them, each step resonating with more sound. Uwabami looked up to see a young boy wearing a suit with a black vest. The deadly feeling she felt earlier immediately disappeared. "_It was just a kid_?" she thought, exhaling quietly.

"Hey, boys in your youth shouldn't be walking alone in the middle of the night," Uwabami said in a sweet voice. "Did you get separated away from your parents?"

The boy with dark green hair stood in front of her with his head facing down. He did not respond to her question.

"Is everything ok? It's ok to be scared. Come to me, we are heroes. I'll bring you over to the police so we can find your parents." Uwabami smiled, she thought to herself how lucky she was, "_Maybe this will just work out better than finding a villain. It looks like he has rich parents, so they're probably freaking out about finding him._"

"Are you doing this because you truly wish to help me? Or that it will help you maintain your quota?" the boy asked dryly.

Uwabami looked at him confusingly. "I'm not really sure what you mean by that. I only want to get you back home safely."

"Why are you lying?" Izuku asked, raising his face to meet with Uwabami's. "What did you say earlier?" He smiled, placing his palms together. "Oh, I think it was something about keeping your popularity afloat."

"Listen kid, I don't know what you heard me say but I suggest you leave before I do something about that mouth."

"Oooo, scary!" Izuku replied sarcastically. At first, he only planned to subdue them with minimal force. But the anger he felt after hearing them talk, made him decide on another alternative. "And do you intend on actually doing it yourself, or will you order your lackey to do it for you?" he asked.

Tsuyoshi stepped in front of his teacher, "Listen brat, we don't have time to play games with you. Run along before- "

In that moment, Tsuyoshi saw the glimpse of a shiny metal object fly straight into his face. Before he could dodge, it lodged itself straight into his left eye. Uwabami watched in horror as the intern in front of her collapsed down to his knees, crying out in agony. Tsuyoshi covered his eye; his face and hands began to drip blood from the knife's handle that pierced out from his socket.

Izuku found himself calmly taking out another blade, this time holding it out in the open. "I find it odd when hypocrites talk about selflessness. I'm disappointed to find out that you can't even defend yourself from a throwing knife." He began to slowly walk towards Uwabami.

"Aren't you a Pro Hero? Why are you just standing there?"

As Uwabami continued to look at intern beside her feet, the only thought that raced in her mind was to escape. To run away and call for help if she could. Uwabami turned around to face the way they had entered through, only to find a girl blocking her path.

"No no no. That wasn't the right thing to do," Izuku warned Uwabami. "Why is it that you try to run away when a person is right beside you, unable to move. Especially when they are being pursued by someone holding a knife?"

"It's because she's a harlot!" shouted Toga in the distance.

Izuku stopped, he moved his hands up, puzzled at what he heard. "Really? Really Toga? Is that what we were going for?" Izuku asked. "A harlot… What?" He adjusted his collar with one free hand.

Toga shrugged. "Eh, I don't know. Just seemed like the most appropriate thing to say."

"That has nothing to do with what I was trying to get across," Izuku complained, visibly face-palming. "As I was saying." He turned to look at Uwabami. "You trying to run away, only makes it worse."

In that short time, Tsuyoshi had regained his focus. He quickly jumped up to attack Izuku but was kicked into the face. He flew towards a dumpster, smashing into its side.

Izuku walked over to the person he had kicked, pointing at the body that lay on the floor. "See? Now that's a little bit better, but he's still just like you." Izuku lifted the boy's left arm, looking at Uwabami that stood frozen in fear.

"Let's teach him what it really means when you put your life on the line as a hero."

"Wait no!" Uwabami blurted out in terror.

Izuku placed his foot on Tsuyoshi's shoulder, breaking the upper bone with a swift motion to the side. He then quickly pulled the arm towards him, dislocating the shoulder.

Izuku smiled as the boy in front of him wailed in agony and fear, unable to move from what had happened. Izuku patted his head, releasing his arm. "Now that's a good hero. I would have killed you if I could."

"Please," Uwabami pleaded. "I don't know what you want, but please let me go. I'll stop being a hero."

"It's a little late for you to say that," he replied irritably.

Izuku wiped off the blood that hit his face earlier. He stared at the woman, until realizing that Toga had sneaked up slowly behind her, hitting the back of her head with the butt of the knife.

Uwabami fell to the floor, the hit rendered her unconscious. Toga crouched down, "Can't let you have all of the fun, you sadistic fluff-ball." She grabbed an empty container from her back, taking out a syringe and connected them together. Toga glanced over towards Izuku, before stabbing it into the hero's leg.

"Suck the blood, suck, suck," she said, letting out a cheerful hymn.

"_So that's what she meant earlier,_" Izuku thought. He was glad it wasn't anything worse.

Izuku removed the blade he had thrown at the high school student earlier, afterwards taking out a small notepad. He moved over a small metal bucket and sat down on it besides the injured boy. "So, tell me. What kind of quirk do you have?"

Tsuyoshi breathed heavily, occasionally moaning in pain. He had no idea if his teacher had escaped or not, but he was afraid of what the boy in the suit would do to him next.

"Why are you so quiet all of the sudden?" Izuku asked. "Just a moment ago you were calling me off and talking about gaining a fan base." He grabbed a pen from his vest pocket and began to tap it on top of the notepad. "It's a little different when you realize that a real hero must always be ready to risk their lives to protect others. Granted that I saw you show a little bit of that towards the end."

"I am sure that all you did in your life since childhood, was think about how much money you would get, and how many people would fawn over you. But did you ever stop to consider helping a kid in your class that got bullied in school. Or help an elderly person cross the street? I'm sure you've had the chance to, but all you actually care about is reputation."

Tsuyoshi stayed quiet, not knowing if saying anything would make it better for him. He slowly picked up his head from the ground, only to see Izuku look at him with a bored expression.

"I'm only going to ask once more. What is your quirk?" Izuku demanded. He brought the pen closer to the boy's other eye. "Otherwise you go completely blind if you continue to ignore me." He said nonchalantly.

"I… I can imitate anyone's voice after I touch them," Tsuyoshi coughed. He was losing consciousness from blood loss.

Izuku was fascinated from what he heard. "_This is all now slowly coming together,_" he thought, writing down everything he could analyse about the quirk. "_I can see why All for One would want them._"

He then felt a presence appear above them from one of the building rooftops. The figure then jumped down in front of Izuku.

"I take it you are Compress," Izuku guessed, standing up from the bucket. "We've dealt with these two, but one of them will die if they aren't given immediate medical attention."

"That will not be a problem," Compress said. "I will make sure that the boy stays alive until the boss is done with them."

Compress placed his hand on Tsuyoshi's back, instantly turning him into a marble.

"And now just for this lady behind me."

**A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter and I hope you have a wonderful day. I've got one big assignment coming up soon, so I will be focusing on that a bit more. Expect the next chapter in around 3-4 days. Just want to say thank you once more to everyone who had followed/favourited, and left a review/comment. It always motivates to keep on writing.**


	10. Chapter 10: Confrontation

"Mrs. Midoriya. As much as I would love to help you find your son, it's been several months since he's gone missing," Naomasa said. He brought down his hat, placing it on his lap. "There is just no information on his whereabouts, and we have no clue as to where he disappeared off into the first place."

"Then try harder!" Inko cried out, trying to cover the tears that formed below her eyes. "My son is gone, and I don't even know if he is dead!" She desperately wished for the police to find Izuku, but no matter how many times she visited, Inko always got the same story repeated to her.

The detective sat in silence. He understood Inko's feelings but was uncertain of how to explain to her what would happen in the next upcoming days. "Miss, there is something I need to tell you," he said with a defeated tone.

"The most crucial time to lead an investigation generally occurs around in the first three days after a person goes missing. It's when the trail is still fresh, it's when most of our effort is put into finding someone." He placed his hands on top of the table, crossing them together. "We were not able to find your son within that time frame, it was as if he completely disappeared."

"After extensive profiling with video security footage, potential witnesses, and many other things. In these past few months… we still could not find him. That is not something that we normally come across."

"Are you saying you are just going to give up?" Inko asked. Her voice trembled with anxiety.

"Of course not," Naomasa said with no hesitation. He leaned his back across the chair, resting his shoulders once more. "Cases of missing people stay up for years, but that does not mean we can guarantee that we will find Izuku Midoriya."

Inko looked at the detective, not knowing what to say or do. She felt as if the last ray of hope exited her. She knew that if the police could not find Izuku, no one else could.

"It only gets harder the longer we continue to search for your son," Naomasa continued. "We cannot strain so many of our resources for one person, especially for someone who has not appeared on our radar close to an entire year."

"The only thing I can tell you is that this case will be put on hold in the upcoming week. Unless we are presented with new evidence or receive eye witness accounts of your son, we will not be able to find him."

The tension seemed to rise higher in the room. Naomasa was concerned at how Inko would react to the news. She had visited the department every week after her son's disappearance, yet the only thing she was left with was the declaration that nothing would be done.

"I apologize for this mess, but do not give up Mrs Midoriya," Naomasa urged as he stood up from his chair. "I'm sure he is alive."

"How can you be so certain about that?" Inko asked, staring at the desk separating them.

Naomasa did not move to the comment. He placed his hat back on his head and turned to face her. "Because I believe in miracles," he said.

* * *

Something was different tonight. There was an edge to this quietness that made Izuku restless deep down. Two weeks he had been waiting for All for One to call him. Izuku passed the time by training underground, and occasionally make small talk with members in the league. Each day went by longer than the day that had come before it. Izuku wanted nothing so much as to study quirks and utilise the skills he was taught to see people suffer, but that was not a feeling he could share with anyone in the bar that day.

Especially not with the man they were waiting for.

Most of the members were called down for a briefing on the upcoming plans for the league. Kurogiri handed everyone drinks, while passing Izuku and Toga glasses of water.

Toga stared at the glass cup with disgust. Proceeding to slam her fist onto the table. "Kurogiri! What is this weak shit?" Toga asked with discontent. "Give me booze."

"I'd rather not, you are still a child," Kurogiri responded roughly. "And more importantly, we are about to start a meeting."

Toga seemed to not hear him. She studied the vast array of bottles behind the mist-like head forming out of the bartender.

Kurogiri sighed. "I suppose I can make something better," he paused. "What about a milkshake?"

Toga's eyes lit up from the moment she heard her favourite word. "Yay!" Toga blurted out with excitement. "Now that's what I am talking about my man." She then smiled at Kurogiri with dark intent. "Just don't do that again Mister."

Kurogiri ignored her and began to make the milkshake. "Can I just relax for one day without worrying that someone will get stabbed," he thought.

Izuku sipped from his glass, noticing that their acting leader was late. Tomura was the one in charge of leading the meeting and operation Izuku had heard of before from Kurogiri. Since their faithful encounter, Izuku had grown to dislike the way Tomura acted.

He suddenly felt a tap behind his shoulder. "Mind if I sit beside you?" the voice asked as Izuku instantly recognised it as Dabi's.

"Sure," Izuku replied quietly. "Make yourself comfortable."

Dabi pulled away the seat ahead of him, sitting down in a crude manner. "Getting used to the villainous aspects of life?" he asked.

"I'm getting there," Izuku said. "But I still have a lot of things I am curious about."

"Well it's definitely not the training side of it," Dabi observed. "I never suspected you to be doing missions already. Just not too long ago you were an ordinary civilian."

Izuku shrugged. "You flatter me. I only did it once, and it was against two heroes that couldn't snap a twig in two even if they tried."

"Easy or not," Dabi said, crossing his arms together. "The important thing is that you've gained the real leader's trust and thus mine. That is all that matters to me."

Izuku nodded slightly. "Was there any specific reason you wanted to talk to me? I find it a bit odd that you would sit down here, right before something important is about to come up. You generally don't talk to others." The boy's smile was daring.

Dabi chuckled slightly. "Assuming the meeting goes the way I've been told, then I would like to appoint you into the Vanguard Action Squad."

Izuku was confused. He groped for any memories surrounding that name, yet nothing came to mind. His eyes swept back and forth over the bar, his mouth starting to mutter incoherent sentences.

His thinking was interrupted by Dabi. "I don't expect you to know what it is. It's an impromptu group in which I was selected as the defacto leader. You'll understand what I mean soon."

"I'm actually already a part of it too," Toga admitted, slurping on the milkshake Kurogiri handed her. "Granted that I don't know anything about it."

Izuku placed his glass on the table counter. "I can already guess who the mastermind is," he muttered, low under his breath.

Footsteps were heard in the distance, prompting most of the villains inside the bar to look towards one of the entrances. The door slowly opened, revealing Tomura with a half-smile. A hand was still attached to his face.

"Greetings everyone," Tomura exclaimed. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice."

The young man walked over to the bar, stopping several steps away from the group. "As you might know, Master has given me the direct role in orchestrating the league's next objective. Our first task will be to make ourselves known to the world by attacking the U.A admissions exam. We will take them by surprise and kidnap naive heroes, and make them into potential recruits. When the world learns of how easily the hero system fails at their peak, it will be anarchy."

"Heh, you just tell me who not to kill," Muscular told him.

"This might prove to be difficult Tomura," Kurogiri said. "But it is still a great plan."

Snickers could be heard at the end of the bar table. It stopped shortly after all the heads turned to see who was laughing.

Izuku who was the only one still facing the bar turned around, holding the glass with his leather gloves. "I wouldn't bother doing that."

Tomura glanced over at Izuku. His face slowly began to twist with anger. "And why is that?" he asked with an annoyed voice.

Izuku placed a straw inside the glass and began to stir the ice gently. "Because the plan is shit."

"What?" Tomura questioned. He began to scratch the side of his neck. "What did you say?"

"I said it is shit," Izuku repeated. "It's not going to work the way you intend it to."

Dabi let out a small smirk, before returning to his calm usual expression. "_That kid really just spoke out against the leader's pupil,_" he thought.

"What moron truly believes that attacking an examination full of hundreds of students would be a good idea. Do you even know who you want to take?" Izuku asked.

Tomura clawed at his throat, as visible marks appeared. "No, we don't, but it's still better to do so. In the end, we prove that heroes are useless. No one will be able to stop us with the group we have assembled."

"I see, so you intend on marching into the unknown and expect to just win," Izuku said. "Let alone the fact that you don't even know what kind of heroes will be present for the exam."

Several of the members whispered to each other, questioning the legitimacy of Tomura's plan. They did not expect the man to come in so unprepared.

Toga only stared at Izuku, her cheeks blushed at the sight of him badmouthing someone.

Tomura's rage only grew. "And how would you know what we're up against?" he demanded.

Izuku scoffed at what he heard. "Are you serious? You did not even bother to figure out what you were going up against?" He questioned, taking out the plastic straw from the cup. He swirled it around in the air before pointing it at Tomura. "I know it might be a little hard, but if you even put in a little effort to get a copy of U.A's database. You would have gotten it if you talked to the right people."

"OK, that does it," Tomura growled. He ran up towards Izuku, moving his right hand to grab onto Izuku's face. Before he could reach the boy, Tomura felt a knife prod at his throat. He stopped several inches away from Izuku, yet he could only see the boy stare at him with cold eyes.

"Let me finish," Izuku said in a ticked off voice, moving the knife's edge deeper into Tomura's skin. "I'd rather not have to make your self-inflicted injuries any worse." He smiled playfully, placing the glass back on the table. "You even made me drop my straw on the floor."

Twice whistled in surprise from what he had seen.

"Alright," Tomura accepted, not knowing if he would live. "If you're so smart then, tell us your plan and how it would be better."

"Sure thing, _leader_," Izuku said mockingly, releasing the knife away from Tomura's neck. The man stammered back before regaining his composure.

Dabi rolled his eyes, disappointed in having witnessed Tomura's behaviour and utter defeat. "_Is this really the man I have to follow?_" Dabi asked to himself.

"As I was saying," Izuku went on. "With the U.A admissions coming up, it's been confirmed that there will be twenty or more professional heroes attending it. One of which I understand will be All Might."

The entire group stayed still until one of them broke the silence.

"All Might? How the hell would we win against that?"

"That is exactly my point. Let alone the fact that there are twice as many of them, as there are us," Izuku asserted. "Going in now would be a fool's death wish."

It was then that Dabi asked a question. "That all makes sense, but Tomura made at least one good point earlier. How would we find a better opportunity to show the world the same kind of message?"

"It's quite simple," Izuku responded. He sheathed his knife back. "We target specific students that have gotten accepted after the exams. Figure out the ones who can be easily manipulated and bring them here. Granted that we only do it when the teachers are present. That will give off the same message you all want to show."

Tomura stared at Izuku, livid at how the boy embarrassed him in front of everyone.

"Would it not be perfect?" Izuku asked with a slight grin. "The students who get accepted will definitely have stronger quirks."

"That is a good point, yet one big problem we'll face, is that we still don't know anything about how they operate," said Dabi. "We'll be going in blind if we don't learn their quirks, and not even know when to strike at the best time."

Izuku shifted one leg across the other. "I do actually have a solution for what you just mentioned Dabi," he said.

"Oh? Please indulge us."

"If someone were to apply to U.A and get accepted," Izuku stated. "We would get everything we need."

"So now you're asking all of us to trust you?" Tomura asked, speaking for the first time in a while. "What makes you think you would be able to do this while none of us holds any trust in you. You're just a brat who's standing on his high horse."

Izuku glanced over towards the man. "I thought I made it clear that your plan is complete utter trash," he said calmly. "If you want an actual plan that holds some merit, then I ask you to shut up." He then placed one finger over his lips and let out a small sound. "The grown-ups are talking."

Tomura was left speechless. He felt as if all the eyes in the room were laughing at him. He wanted it to stop.

"I want to make something clear to all of you," Izuku announced. He got off the bar stool and turned to face all of the villains. "I have no intentions of taking credit or even leading this operation." He pointed with his thumb at Tomura that stood frozen beside him. "This man is our leader, and that was decided by you know who. I only wish to help, and I am offering to put my life on the line for this."

"_Goddamnit Izuku, you'll start making all of the ladies fall for you,_" Toga said to herself. The thought of her crush being with someone else was repulsing to her.

No one in the room objected to Izuku's proposition. Even Kurogiri who had generally always taken Tomura's side was quiet.

Izuku suddenly felt a hand place itself on top of his head. He initially thought it was Tomura but was surprised to see the man with light coloured hair had never moved. Only that his eyes showed surprise at who was behind Izuku.

"Master!" Tomura exclaimed, getting down on one knee.

All for One waved his other hand for Tomura to stand up. He looked at the green haired boy in front of him and then to the group sitting beside the bar.

"I take it the meeting has gone well so far?" All for One asked. Everyone was quiet, uncertain of how to respond back. Until they heard the man chuckling. "I see. I suppose that was a pointless question since I had overheard everything from the start regardless."

All for One removed his hand from Izuku's head. "An infiltration plan into the U.A?" he asked with a lighthearted tone. "You really do surprise me, young man."

Izuku was as baffled as everyone else who had heard what All for One said. Izuku turned around to face the tall looming man. The mask hid all emotions for Izuku to read.

"I thought you were the one who hinted me to do this All for One," Izuku asked with uncertainty.

"You are not wrong to think that, however, what I had in mind was something completely different," All for One explained. "What you've come up with was something that never crossed my mind."

"Master, please understand that we can't trust everything onto this boy," Tomura said.

"Silence, Tomura," All for One commanded. "I do not think anyone in this room disagrees with Izuku's plan. Let alone question his abilities."

"But Master-" Tomura stopped. The sight of All for One's deathly presence frightened him.

"What Izuku has proposed will now be set in motion. However, that does not mean there will be no consequences if this fails," All for One announced. He looked at Izuku through the mask, wanting to test the boy's resolve.

"If you fail, you will be the one held responsible, and death will likely be the punishment. With that being said, do you still wish to hold onto your words?"

Izuku stared at the black tinted mask with no hesitation. "When Am I free to go?"

All for One began to laugh, with the sound echoing throughout the entire room. He smiled, thinking for how much longer the boy would entertain him. "Very well, you will begin the preparations," he said. For a moment he felt pride.

"What about us?" Muscular asked, raising his arm up. "Are we just to sit around and do nothing?"

"For a little while," All for One said. "Surely being given a better opportunity to survive, outweighs everything else."

Muscular looked at Izuku, gulping down the last of his beer. "Kid, just make sure I get to kill a lot of them."

Izuku smiled. "No worries, I'll save the strongest ones for you."

"Now that's what I like to here," Muscular responded back. He stood up and walked towards the exit. "Don't take too long."

The door slammed shut.

"Tomura," All for One said unexpectedly. "Since I still wish for you to lead this operation. I ask that you work with Izuku and prepare a proper invasion force once all of the keys have been set in place." He walked over to an open area in the bar, releasing a portal in front of him. "Do not disappoint me again."

"Yes, Master," Tomura replied.

**A/N: Another fun chapter to write. We finally get to see Izuku stand up against Tomura, and now everything is starting to play itself out. For the story, I plan to keep it similar to how it occurred in the actual manga. However, I will be obviously changing up things, so it makes sense and it fits Izuku's villain character more. Cheers.**


	11. Chapter 11: Return

"How do you plan on doing this?" Dabi asked as he watched Izuku take out his old school bag. They both sat inside a rundown room that was given to Izuku ever since he joined the league. "I heard you say that you wouldn't need any assistance."

"Yeah, it took me some time to figure out what my options were and keeping the league's involvement to a minimum is critical to our success," Izuku said, placing down his suit and equipment inside. He looked around for a while before finding his M9 Bayonet.

"You're not taking anything else?" Dabi questioned.

"Can't, it's too much of a risk," Izuku responded back, resting the knife at the top. He closed the bag, laying it down on the freezing concrete floor.

Izuku had known he would need to convince a pulling act, so that his plan would work. Knowing that he would have to break one promise he made for himself many months ago. "Mom,_ looks like I'm only going to make things worse for you in the future,_" Izuku said to himself.

"I'm curious to know what you are planning," Dabi said. "Mind telling me what you wish to do? I won't share it of course."

"Sure, not that I care much," Izuku replied. "I was initially debating between two plans, but it comes down to the one which carries less risk of me being found out. However, the first part will most likely be the hardest." He tapped his right foot on the ground slightly. "Initially I planned on disguising myself with a fake name and different appearance. But instead, I am going to reveal myself to the police and my mother."

Dabi glanced at Izuku's posture with interest. "On paper that seems more riskier than just changing your identity, but it seems to actually be the other way around."

"That's right. Coming back to my old lifestyle while keeping up a persona would work out much better. Anything I tell them will be believed without question… I am only just a kid after all," Izuku said, forming a smile at the end of his lips.

"On top of that, you've got no criminal history… recorded criminal history," Dabi pointed out, realizing perfectly what Izuku was up to. "You're one little sneaky guy. When did you come up with this?"

"Several weeks ago…" Izuku paused.

Dabi noticed once more that something was odd. "Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Izuku sat in silence, keeping the tightness around his mouth shut. The barely suppressed emotions in his eyes waited to explode from their prison. Izuku had spent almost an entire year preparing to confront the pledge he made to himself. The pure hatred and disgust he felt for the society who had left him to suffer were closing in, waiting for him to challenge it.

Izuku was suddenly brought back into his normal state from Dabi's voice. "Is this about your family?"

Izuku sighed. "I wouldn't be lying if I never said I had any problems with my mother," he admitted.

Dabi worried he would press on too much, yet he wanted to help the boy. He felt as if they both shared a similar bond. "Do you resent her?"

Izuku looked down, recollecting his memories of Inko. "I wouldn't say I would, but at the same time, I have nothing good to say about her too."

"Then what is troubling you?" Dabi asked calmly.

He then noticed Izuku's appearance slowly change into what he had felt the first time they met. Izuku's black aura manifested itself in front of Dabi, resembling a dark figure, towering over him.

"I shouldn't have to talk about her anymore," Izuku said quietly with a chill voice. "Sometimes it's difficult to remove the last remaining pieces of my past self. What I'm worrying about is how long I will have to wait."

Dabi sat in his chair, unaware of how to respond to the sudden change in the boy. He only knew that he had to calm Izuku down.

Izuku stared at the floor with cold dead eyes, seemingly unaware of Dabi's presence. Until he looked up at him. "Funny isn't it? You think I'm someone else."

Dabi tensed up his arms. "Is it really you?" he asked bluntly.

"Yes," Izuku said. He moved his body to show no aggression, resulting in the dark aura evaporating. Visible traces of the shadow disappeared behind Izuku's back. "I just had to release the build-up. It's under control now." He smiled eerily, completely ignoring what had transpired earlier.

Dabi looked at him, confused from what he heard. "Are you sure that's a normal thing to experience?"

"Normal? Far from it," Izuku shared. "That is just my real self, that I must hide from everyone else. Otherwise I would never be able to blend in." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry for lashing out like that."

Dabi exhaled deeply, resting his arms on his jeans. "I swear that you need to warn me about these kinds of things before you do them." He pointed at Izuku. "Can you control it?"

Izuku laughed nervously. "I am getting better at it, but if I ignore it for too long… It's starts to eat away at my mind. Always telling me to remember the day I felt happiness and relief, when- "

"Look, if you don't want to talk about this, it's fine. I am only concerned now if this will keep happening. Especially in front of someone who isn't us." Dabi said. He shifted his hands inside his pant's pockets.

"Don't worry," Izuku insisted. "The only reason I let my true self come out is because I have already accepted it, I just only need not ignore it for too long. When I completed my first task for the league, my mind became clear for a while. I am certain my consciousness is forcing me to never forget why I exist."

"Need I even ask what it is trying for you to not forget?" Dabi asked.

Izuku smiled. "It's reminding me to make the world understand where it's place is."

"That sounds awfully vague," Dabi joked. "You'd make a great comic book villain."

There was a pause, until both laughed audibly.

Izuku took a breath in, before standing up from his bed. "I appreciate you worrying about me Dabi, but I'll be fine. I can release it at anytime like I did just now, but I would have to do it outside of anyone's presence."

"Just make sure not to scare little kids with it," Dabi said.

"Why would I do that?" Izuku asked with a serious tone, breaking the cheerful atmosphere.

Dabi gave him a weird look. "What do you mean? It's a joke."

"It wasn't funny," Izuku said. "Why would I scare an innocent kid?"

The young man hesitated from Izuku's sudden shift once more, baffled at why the boy cared so much about it. "Ok, look I didn't mean it that way. Sorry."

Izuku grabbed his schoolbag and tossed it over his shoulder. "I'll see you around," Izuku said, as he walked towards the room's door, closing it behind him.

"_Was my joke really that bad?_" Dabi thought immediately. "_Jeez, didn't think it would be this hard to ease up to him._"

* * *

Izuku threaded his way through his old neighbourhood. The sky was already dark, with street lights illuminating the road ahead of him. He passed the playground where he used to play often in his childhood.

He stopped at the spot where Katsuki had beaten him up and left him to suffer under the rain. "_Really brings back memories doesn't it Kacchan,_" Izuku thought.

Izuku placed his bag down and opened it, taking out his knife and a set of dirty ragged clothes that he prepared earlier. He put in on, afterwards removing the knife from its holster.

Without hesitation, Izuku slashed himself across the chest and arms multiple times. The lacerations caused his shirt to tear apart. Gushes of blood sprayed out from his wounds, staining his clothing and skin. Izuku stumbled, almost falling to the ground. He knew he had to make his return believable.

He slowly cleaned his knife with his shirt and placed it back inside his school bag. Izuku's legs wobbled under his own weight as he stood up and carried the bag with one hand. "Got to make it there…" he paused, regaining his breath, "before I lose consciousness."

Inko had never liked living alone. After her son's sudden disappearance, it became apparent at how lonely her life became. She stared at the living room wall, watching the clock hands slowly move across the board. The dinner she prepared for herself had grown cold.

The doorbell rang, yet she paid no attention. Until a large bang was heard across from the front door. Inko's head turned to face the entrance alarmed from what she heard. "Is that the police?" she asked with a loud voice.

No response came, which prompted Inko to walk up towards the door. She looked through the peephole, only to find no one standing outside. She unlocked the door and grabbed the handle, slowly turning it. To her left, stood her son, leaning across the wall, breathing heavily.

She looked at him, only to realise what state he was in. "Oh my god, my baby," Inko cried out. She did not know what else to say. At the same time, she could not believe what she was seeing in front of her eyes.

Her motherly instinct took over. She grabbed onto Izuku and carried him inside the apartment before laying him down towards the front door entrance.

"I'm calling the hospital, everything will be alright," Inko urged him. She ran towards the living room to grab the phone.

Izuku held onto his bag, before letting it go beside the wall. His vision grew blurry as he heard his mother run around frantically, calling for help on the phone. The last thing he remembered was Inko wrapping towels around his wounds.

…

"It looks like he's finally starting to wake up," said a distorted voice. "Get the nurses over here to replace his IV drip."

Izuku attempted to open his eyes, but it was still difficult for him to discern what was happening. He could see several figures walking around him, wearing white garbs.

"We can call in his mother after we get him stabilized," the voice said.

Izuku had begun to regain his vision with time, only to see him hospitalized inside a private room. One doctor noticed and walked over to him.

"You'll be alright son. Soon enough you'll be skipping around like everyone else," the man said. He nodded at Izuku before gesturing one nurse to replace his IV bag. He turned around to face the boy once again, "You're lucky to be still alive. I've never seen someone with so much blood loss due to excessive bleeding, survive." The man stopped, thinking that it would be best not to scare the boy.

"I've called for your mother, she'll be here soon."

Izuku moved his head and stared at the ceiling. His plan had so far seemed to work. It was only a matter of time before he would have to explain how he got into such a situation.

"Blood pressure seems to be at a normal level. One-hundred and five after the blood transfusion," said one of the nurses. She read from a monitor screen that extended in front of her.

"Good," said the doctor. "Prep another packet of O-type blood just in case something happens."

"Yes, Doctor." The nurse moved away from the screen, leaving the room with a clipboard.

The doctor sat down on his chair. "You almost gave me a heart attack boy," he shared. He took off his glasses and rubbed the sweat off the top of his forehead. "How the hell did you even get into that state?"

Izuku did not respond. Knowing it would be best to keep his mouth shut.

"In any case, I was surprised to find out that the boy who went missing a long time ago. Just happened to appear here after meeting an important client of mine."

Izuku shifted his eyes to meet with the doctor, but it was still difficult for him to see clearly. He only saw the doctor give off a faint smile.

"Don't worry about the police questioning your self-inflicted wounds. I've made sure to change that when I wrote the medical report." The doctor said promisingly. "All for One sends his regards." He put back on his glasses and left the room before Izuku could reply.

Izuku lay on his bed for a second, before laughing to himself. He could not believe how far his leader's influence reached. Yet he had no time to question why that was the case.

The door suddenly sprang wide open, revealing Inko in tears. She ran towards him, hugging him.

"That hurts mom," Izuku muttered underneath her.

"Not this again Izuku," Inko said quietly. She backed up to see her son. "I'm so sorry for everything."

She noticed that his appearance had drastically changed since she last saw him. Apart from the bandages that covered most of his upper body and arms. Izuku gave off a grim presence as if he had been fighting to survive the entire time. They glanced at each other for a moment, only for her to see his emotionless eyes, seemingly detached from feeling happiness or joy.

She stumbled on her words, before holding onto his right hand. "Izuku, everything is ok now. You're safe," Inko reassured. Tears formed on her cheeks, and dripped down onto the bedsheets, "Who would do this to my son?"

Izuku attempted to formulate a sentence, but his voice failed him. All he could do was watch his mother cry over him.

* * *

It was a day later when the police showed up to Izuku in his hospital room. Naomasa's slumped shoulders rose at the sight of seeing the boy. It was as if a huge pile of weight had been lifted from his body and mind. "Izuku Midoriya," he said, "Glad to see you alive... and well." He moved over to the bed Izuku rested on, noticing the absurd amount of injuries sustained on the boy. "Never expected for it to happen this way, but we're glad that you're safe."

"Thanks," Izuku replied. "Not really in the best shape, but I'm glad to be here anyway." He forced a smile.

"We've gotten the medical report just now, so I am here to clear up a few things with you if that's ok," Naomasa said. He took off his coat, fixing it over a visitor's chair. He moved it closer towards Izuku, sitting down in one heavy swoop.

Izuku was quiet but respectful. "Of course, sir. But every time I think about it, I see myself reliving the same nightmare over and over again." He looked at the sheets covering his legs, gripping the covers with his hands. "That is the last thing I want to remember." He said, lying to the detective.

Naomasa felt terrible for the boy, but he knew he had to get the job done. "We'll take this slow Izuku, and we'll stop if it gets too hard on you," he said.

Izuku nodded, prompting the detective to start his questioning.

"Alright," Naomasa said. "You disappeared after you left for school in the morning on the 25th of April. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I decided to take my usual shortcut for school until I was kidnapped by several people," Izuku said slowly.

"Did you see their faces?" Naomasa asked.

"No, they put a cloth over my head immediately and I wasn't able to see anything," Izuku told him.

Naomasa looked at Izuku and felt no indication of him lying. "Do you know why they kidnapped you?"

"I'm not really certain, all I know is that… I…" Izuku began to breathe heavily, clutching one hand against his chest.

Naomasa jumped over, reassuring the boy that everything would be alright. "Take a deep breath Izuku. This won't take long, please understand that I am trying to help you."

Izuku calmed down and let go of his grip. Slowly returning to his normal condition, inhaling and exhaling deeply through his nose.

"You tell me when you're ready. Ok?" Naomasa insisted.

"Sorry, I am good now," Izuku said quietly.

The detective looked at his notes. "Where did they take you, and what did they do?"

"I don't know where I was, only that I was kept underground somewhere. I was kept as a slave, forced to fight for my survival."

Naomasa's eyes widened, not being able to believe what he had heard at first glance. "They made you fight against your own will?" He asked with a shocked voice.

Izuku looked at the detective, not saying another word. He had to be careful to not sound suspicious.

Naomasa tapped his foot with contempt at the thought of someone doing such a horrific act. He moved his hand across his mouth, covering it slightly. "Do you know why they did it?"

"Entertainment," Izuku responded. "The reason why I am still alive is that someone helped me escape."

"How did you escape? Please if you know anything that can be of use to us, tell me," Naomasa pleaded.

"I don't know who saved me, except for that I know it was a woman's voice. I don't remember much as I wasn't really aware of what was happening, my mind was in a comatose-like state… All I know is that this person got me out of there while being chased by them. The next thing I remember is waking up close to the playground in my neighbourhood, behind a large set of bushes."

Naomasa listened, writing down everything single bit of detail. "And then I am assuming you went back home to alert your mother," he concluded.

Izuku nodded. "That's all I know sir, I am sorry."

Naomasa raised up his hands. "Don't be Izuku, this is not your fault." He looked over his notes, twirling his pen occasionally. "From what I understand, you were forced to partake in an underground organisation that deals with illegal fighting." He said with a stern voice. "Was there anyone else in the same position as you? And did you remember any faces you saw?"

Izuku made sure to make it look like he thought for a while. "_I know there were people who were taken in as well, but I never got to talk with anyone. Anyone who I saw wore masks on their faces,_" he concluded with a soft voice.

"_So, they were careful with the way they operated,_" Naomasa thought to himself. "_What the hell did this kid go through?_" He could tell that the boy had changed from the last time he saw him. There was a different kind of atmosphere surrounding Izuku. One that definitely proved he lost his innocence.

Naomasa knew there was no point in questioning Izuku any further. He did not want to make the boy relive any more of the painful things he experienced. "Ok, thanks for telling me everything you can Izuku. Even this, can help us figure out something," he said calmly, folding the paper away into his pocket. "If you ever remember something from this point on, let me know."

The detective stood up and grabbed his beige coat and walked towards the door. Inko rushed in, looking at Naomasa and then to Izuku.

"Everything is alright Miss," Naomasa asserted to her. "I'll send you a report of his condition once I am able to, but please know that we'll do whatever we can to help bring justice to the people who did this."

"Once your son gets better and is allowed to leave the hospital. I think it would be in his best interest to visit a psychologist so he can get the help he needs."

Before Naomasa could exit the room, he stopped at the sound of Izuku speaking up.

"Mom," Izuku said with a sincere voice. "I want to become a hero so that this never happens to anyone else." He did his best to contain the laughter inside him. Everything had worked out perfectly.

Naomasa smiled. He exited and closed the door. He had no idea of how else to feel about what the boy told him earlier. Something about their conversation felt odd, but he could not put his finger on what it was. The detective gripped his hat, "Regardless, I'll make sure to get to the bottom of this. Now that we know they exist, hopefully, we'll catch those bastards." He had no reason not to trust the boy's words.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Izuku reunites himself back into his old life, however only doing so in order to get what he wants. Now he plans on putting on the guise of wanting to become a hero, so we'll see how that plays out soon.**

_**(Read below if you want to get a better understanding of my intentions for Izuku's character progression – Not a spoiler, but if you have already understood what I am going for, then props to you).**_

**One thing I want to mention about Izuku's development, without also giving too much of it away. Is that while he has become a villain at heart and has psychopathic tendencies (LOL), he still has morals for what he views as wrong and right. It's pretty much similar to Stain's ideology, but with some different changes that I believe would fit Izuku's mindset more, while still honouring the original character. I am trying my best to make it believable and that his transition into a villain makes sense. Where some of his past hero-like thoughts still come out and shape him into the person he is today. It's a variation between Lawful Evil and Chaotic Neutral. You will sort of see this throughout the story, and you might have already seen through some little bits I have written. We don't know where his character will go, and I won't say anything else. But thank you as always for reading, you guys are the best!**


	12. Chapter 12: Practical Exam

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Inko asked frantically. She watched her son put on his shoes at the front door. "You just got out of the hospital. It's ok if you go to a different place."

Izuku sighed. "It's alright. How am I ever going to know if I don't try? Besides this will be my only chance."

"I suppose that's true," Inko ended. She worried that Izuku was rushing things too quickly. Deep down she knew he would come back empty handed. "_How does he plan on passing the entrance exam to the top school without any quirk?_" she thought.

"Don't worry about me," Izuku said, placing on his last shoe and lacing the top. "I'm going to prove to everyone I can make it too."

Inko looked at him surprisingly but was finally at ease seeing Izuku strive for something. She walked over to him and handed him his school bag. "Did you get everything you need?"

Izuku nodded, grabbing the bag. "Yeah, I'll see you soon."

As he opened the door, he was interrupted by his mother. "Izuku, don't disappear this time."

Izuku put on a fake smile, "I won't."

* * *

Two emerging towers ahead of Izuku displayed U.A. He continued to walk closer to the gates until the towers loomed over him. Izuku had come earlier than anticipated, only a few students entered through.

"I suppose it's finally time to show what I've been taught," Izuku whispered. "Let's see how the mighty U.A challenges those who it will deem unworthy of becoming heroes."

Izuku decided to wait before entering. He leaned over to the fence on the right, carefully watching the students that walked past him.

"_Quirks, quirks… Would not be a bad idea to see my competition,_" Izuku pondered. He then noticed a girl with brown hair and a boy with glasses walking to the gate.

"Hey guys," Izuku called out, waving towards them.

The boy and girl stopped, confused as to whether or not he was calling out to them. The boy pointed towards himself and the girl repeatedly with a puzzled look.

"Both of you," Izuku said, showing a warm smile. He leaned off the fence and walked closer to them. "Sorry to be such a bother, but I was wondering if you were both a couple?" He tilted his head with a slight grin.

"W-w… What?" the girl babbled. Her face grew red as she covered her face with her hands.

The other boy grew nervous before waving his hand several times in the air. "What makes you say that? Of course not!"

Izuku stepped back. "Sorry, sorry," he said innocently. "Just a bad habit of mine to tease others."

The boy sighed, with the girl slowly removing her hands away from her eyes.

"The name is Izuku Midoriya, but you can call me Deku. What's yours?" Izuku asked, extending his arm towards the boy.

"Tenya Iida, however, I would prefer that you do not throw around jokes at a time like this," Iida said. He shifted the glasses up from his nose. "Do you realise how important it is not to be late?"

Izuku moved his arm back and shook the top of his head. "_Guess he's not so friendly after all,_" he thought.

"Ochaco… Uraraka," said the girl quietly. She stared at Izuku with a half-scared and half-curious expression. Her face still showed a rose tint on her cheeks.

"Well," Izuku told them. "We've still got twenty minutes until the examinations start. I just wanted to say hi, as I only saw unfamiliar faces around."

Iida glanced at Izuku, realizing his mistake. "Well I suppose we are here a bit early, but please do not bother me when we are about to undergo the most important stage of our lives."

Izuku put his hands up. "In that case, I won't bother you," he said, smiling once more. "Good luck on the exams." He turned around and began to walk towards the gate, slowly humming to himself.

"Looks like someone isn't taking this exam as seriously as they should be," muttered Iida underneath his breath. He looked at the girl beside him. "That was a bit unexpected right?"

The girl laughed slightly. "Yeah, that caught me off guard."

Iida tensed his arms, before looking up at the glass towers. "I will prove to you brother that I can become just like you." He bowed slightly towards Ochaco, and then followed suit.

Inside a theatre-like dome, hundreds of students sat waiting in the pitch black, hoping to start their entrance exams as quickly as possible. Izuku sat several rows from the back, watching the projector proudly display _U.A Hero Academy_. He noticed the boy he met earlier sit in front of him from across a few rows.

The noise from the crowd was soon disrupted by a dark figure blaring into their ears.

"Is this thing on?" the voice asked. "One, two, three." Several taps were heard. "Just kidding! That was me tapping my throat." The voice joked.

"OK! Welcome everyone to the U.A entrance exam. For all of you tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody, say hello," shouted a man with long pointing hair. He moved his hand over his ear, gesturing for everyone to scream it back.

The presenter was met with silence.

"What a great response," he replied back with a sad voice, before quickly springing back into action. "In that case, we'll get on with the presentation and I'll explain what you will be doing in the practical exam."

"Is everyone ready?" the man shouted back at the crowd of examinees once more, yet no one responded back to his call.

Izuku let out a smile, remembering the presenter that stood on stage. "That has to be Present Mic," Izuku muttered to himself. "I used to listen to him all the time." He was not certain anymore if the pro hero standing in front of him met his criteria.

"If you've read the handouts you've received upon arrival, you know that you will be conducting a mock battle in an urban setting right after this!" Present Mic announced. He pointed his finger up towards the screen behind him. "You will head to your designated battle centre alright?" he asked, not expecting a reply this time.

A cough was heard across the room, leaving Present Mic unhappy. He had initially thought someone was about to respond to him.

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, there are three different types of fake villains that you will encounter in the battle centres. Each specific enemy gives you points, with the harder ones giving out more."

On the screen, three black figures resembling robots appeared. Each showcased one point, two points, and finally three points.

"Your goal is to earn points by using your quirk to destroy the villains. And please remember that attacking other examinees is prohibited. Failure to adhere to those warnings will result in your immediate removal."

A hand quickly rose up three rows ahead of Izuku. "I have a question, sir," one student shouted out. Izuku turned to look at who stood up, only to find Iida patiently waiting to be addressed.

"Okay!" Present Mic responded, pointing towards Iida. A spotlight appeared over the boy, separating him from everyone else.

Iida took out his sheet and presented it towards Present Mic. "On the printout, it says that there are four types of villains," he stated, moving his finger across to the unidentified fourth silhouette. "If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prestigious hero school in Japan, should be ashamed of this ridiculous mistake. We, examinees, are here, because we wish to be molded into the perfect model heroes."

Izuku scoffed at Iida's question, loud enough for the boy in glasses to hear him.

Iida turned around to face Izuku, pointing towards him. "And you, what is your problem? It doesn't sound to me like you are taking this examination seriously." He then recognized him as the green haired boy that he met earlier by the entrance gate. "And to top it off, your previous behaviour was completely unprofessional. If you're here to mess around, then you should leave immediately!"

Izuku looked at Iida with a scornful look. "I'm not here to mess around. I am only laughing at how ridiculous your question was," he said dryly. "You seem to be an elite-student, figure it out."

Iida looked at Izuku, not expecting that kind of response from the boy. Before he could say anything back, he was stopped by Izuku speaking over him.

"They didn't make a mistake. I'm fairly certain they didn't address that villain because its points are irrelevant," Izuku pointed out. "Also, I suggest you don't point at people, it's rude."

"I- uhm," Iida paused until Present Mic spoke over him.

"That's right," the pro hero announced. "But I would suggest that you sit down applicant number 7111. Still a great question though." Present Mic explained, giving a thumbs up to Iida. The spotlight over Iida disappeared as he sat back down on his seat, visibly irritated from what occurred.

Present Mic glanced over towards where Izuku sat. "What the boy said earlier was right. The fourth villain is actually worth zero points. That guy is basically an obstacle, so to speak." He pointed back towards the screen. "There is only one in each battle centre. It's not necessarily impossible to defeat, but there is no real reason for defeating it either. I suggest that all of you try to avoid it, otherwise it may not end well for you."

"I see, so it's basically like a video game where you have to avoid obstacles," said one boy to another behind Izuku.

"Yeah, this is pretty much just like a video game," said the other examinee.

Present Mic presented his arms to the side, extending his fingers outwards. "That's all from me," he exclaimed. "Before we start, I will give you all a present – our school motto!"

He continued, "The French hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond…" He raised his arms up to the ceiling. "Plus Ultra!"

_Plus Ultra _appeared on the screen in red and yellow colours, flashing brightly towards all of the examinees. Izuku glared at the words presented, knowing almost none of the people in the room truly embodied those words.

"Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" Present Mic declared seriously.

* * *

Izuku stood outside by a large set of doors. Inside was what he assumed was the battle centre he would be fighting in. With a medium sized group of around fifty people waiting until it would open, the final test to determine whether or not they would pass into the school was coming close.

To his far right, Izuku noticed Tenya Iida staring back right at him. The boy adjusted his glasses and paced over to Izuku. His face still showing anger from what transpired earlier.

"What are you doing in the back here?" Iida asked. He placed his hand over Izuku's shoulder. "Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?"

"Of course not," Izuku replied irritably. "At least I'm here trying to focus and yet you're disturbing me." He removed Iida's hand and walked closer to the group.

"Okay, start!" announced a voice overhead, surprising everyone. "What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights!"

The group looked up to find Present Mic standing on top of a tower above them, circling one arm quickly. "Run, run! We don't have all day!"

The gate swung open, revealing a large makeshift city. Izuku sprinted off with the rest of the group, upon realizing that the exam had already begun.

He rushed straight into the main street until one robot villain appeared out of his left view. Knowing that his quirk would be ineffective in offensive combat, Izuku had to utilise the skills he was taught by Zero.

The robot swung its large arm over Izuku, only to have the boy dodge it. Izuku slid over and stood up immediately after, wiping the dirt off his face.

"_I'm going to have to get in closer and find it's a weak point,_" Izuku thought. He shifted his feet on the asphalt, before sprinting at the robot at full force. He dodged another attack and jumped on top of its arm. Without a moment to spare, Izuku made his way to the back of the robot, noticing a red glowing light underneath the robot's head.

"Gotcha," Izuku muttered. He swung his leg towards it and smashed it in one blow. The robot stopped and let out a few noises before falling down on the ground, cracking the asphalt road from its own weight.

Izuku exhaled. "Guess they didn't make it too hard if you pay attention." But he knew it would still be a long road ahead until he would get a passing grade. He looked around to find the other examinees fighting and defeating robots left and right. Time was running out.

Inside a small control room, hundreds of screens were laid out across a wall. Showcasing each of the examinees and the actions they took during the exam. Several figures sat, as they watched in silence, assessing the performances.

"Looks like the results are coming along," said one of them. "We haven't informed the examinees on the number of villains in their locations, so it is interesting to see how they draw them out. Information gathering, mobility, being able to stay calm in any situation is critical to their success. As well as pure combat ability."

"Doesn't this year's group look promising?" asked a female voice, turning to another figure.

"Well, we can't know for sure yet. Some applicants do show promise, while others I cannot completely grab a hold of yet with their powers," said a man next to her. In front of him was a large red button, and as he moved his finger closer to it, the protective screen opened. "Their true test is still yet to come."

Back at the battle centre, a large rumble was heard, along with several explosions that appeared not too far away from the group of examinees. Everyone stopped to look at the commotion, only to find a large robot the size of several buildings approach them menacingly.

Its movement caused windows to shatter, slowly destroying anything that stood in its way. It then placed one hand on top of an apartment building, only to crush the roof easily under its own force.

One of the examinees stared at it, shaking with fear. "Isn't it a little too big?" he whimpered.

The large robot raised its right fist, only to smash onto the road where most of the applicants were. A giant dust cloud formed, causing some of the examinees to fly back away from the blast.

Izuku stood his ground, only to see the group of applicants he saw earlier run away from it, fearing for their lives. "_So this is how people act after they've seen something terrifying,_" Izuku thought. One of the students bumped into him, causing Izuku to fall down to the ground. He turned to look, only to find Iida running away with the rest of the group.

Izuku sighed as he lifted himself up with one hand. "Well, as much as I would like to fight that… I don't see how I would be able to defeat it." He said calmly, dusting off his pants. "Better to avoid it if it's not bothering anyone."

"Two minutes left," Present Mic announced. He used his quirk to amplify his voice.

Izuku turned around to leave but stopped at the sound of someone making noise. "Ow!" the voice cried out.

At the centre of the rubble, lay a brown-haired girl. She attempted to escape by crawling away with her hands. Only to find that both of her legs were blocked by concrete, preventing her from getting out. Izuku realized it was the girl he met earlier in the morning.

"Oh shit," Izuku said quietly. He watched as the girl stumbled several times, failing to get up. "Come on, get out of there," he muttered, noticing that the giant robot was approaching towards her gradually.

Without a second thought, Izuku's body ran to her, ignoring the fact that he would most likely fail if he helped her. He looked at the girl, only to see tears streaming down her face.

"I'll get you out of here," Izuku reassured Ochaco. "Can you feel your legs?"

She lifted her head to look at the boy, "Deku?" she asked. Her voice was weak and muffled. "What are you doing here?"

"Came here to save you, you idiot," Izuku told her. "I asked you if you can feel your legs. Can you move them?" he asked.

"N-no," Ochaco said quietly.

"Ok, in that case, get ready," he said. "I'm going to make sure you get out of here."

Ochaco pushed her face down to the ground. "It's not possible," she cried out. "Leave me before you get caught up as well."

Izuku disregarded her warning, only to quickly raise the concrete slab that impaired Ochaco's movement. The sight of a boy her age lift something that heavy gave her chills.

"I'm picking you up," Izuku grunted, as he threw down the concrete to the side. He knew he had to get out of there quickly, otherwise, things would not turn out well. "You can complain all you want but do it after we get out of here."

He moved his hands underneath Ochaco, picking her up. "A bit heavier that I expected," he muttered to himself. Ochaco's face lit up with embarrassment, but she was in no position to argue with the boy. Izuku positioned his feet back to the exit, only to find the robot's shadow pass over them.

He sprinted away at full speed. Running as fast as his legs could take him, knowing he would have to rely on anything but his quirk to survive. Izuku barely managed to dodge a punch that the robot threw where they had been standing initially.

The wind generated from the impact almost caused Izuku to fall and let go of the girl. "Didn't think they'd actually try to murder us," Izuku reflected. "Now this is entertaining!" In the distance, he could see the entire group watch in terror by the gate. "_Typical,_" he thought.

Suddenly the robot raised up its fist, preparing for another strike.

Izuku stared back, only to see it approaching closer and closer to him. Realising that there was no escape, Izuku decided to do the only thing he could think of at that moment.

Ochaco felt the boy's hands release her, only to see him throw her out of harm's way. Before she could let out a scream, the robot's hand came crashing down on Izuku.

At that moment, Izuku felt his legs get crushed by the metal steel that hit him. He could only see his vision grow dimmer as he heard screams in the distance. He attempted to look up, but his strength failed him. Causing his head to fall down and bang against the ground.

Ochaco watched in terror as the robot that tried to hit her, took down her rescuer instead. The robot's red eyes gleamed across the dirt cloud, seemingly satisfied with what it had done.

She crawled over to see if the boy who saved her was okay, only to stop at the sound of explosions coming out from the robot. She saw the robot's legs start to slowly get crushed. The irreversible damage caused for it to slant, until it lost its balance and fell backward, leaving Izuku alone on the cratered road. As the robot fell to the ground, more explosions were seen towards the head and upper body area.

Ochaco and the group of examinees watched with confusion as the seemingly undefeatable robot villain was left incapacitated. Black smoke slowly began to rise from the robot, making the scene look peaceful at last.

In the distance, a siren was heard signaling the end of the practical exam. Several people came towards the robot and found Izuku laying down unconscious, with half of his body crushed.

"What was that?" asked one examinee.

"The moment he got hit, the robot exploded for no reason at all," said another person, staring at the smoke that continued to expand. "Assuming it was him, he must have done something when the dust cloud appeared. That was still unusual…"

"But if his quirk caused that robot to fall, that's an amazing quirk," pointed out a different person.

"_They're not getting the point,_" Iida said to himself. "_Didn't they see?_" He turned to face Ochaco, who was still laying down on the road. "_He ran out to save that girl. He was aware of how much time was left and that he would be jeopardizing his own safety… And even so, he did not hesitate at all._"

Iida clenched his fist, "_If it wasn't an exam, of course… I would have done the same!_" he reassured himself.

"Okay, good job everyone," said a voice behind Iida. A small old woman appeared with a walking stick in the shape of a syringe. "Good work, good work."

She walked over to Izuku who was set out on the ground, still unconscious from the injury. "Oh dear, you were hurt this much?" she asked. "They really aren't making these exams any easier these days."

The old woman extended her lips and kissed Izuku's head, letting out a weird noise. After removing her lips, the boy's legs began to heal immediately, returning back to their normal state.

"I know that U.A can go a bit reckless since I am here, but it is still ridiculous," the woman pointed out. "Alright, let's finish this quickly. Is anyone else injured?" she asked.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It took some time, but it's finally done… phew. As always, thanks for reading and following my story. Leave out a review, always a pleasure reading them. Critique it to hell, so that I can make it even better. :3**


	13. Chapter 13: UA Academy

At the corner of Izuku's room, a letter rested on top of a small desk. Just earlier, Izuku's mother rushed over to him with the mail addressing his name, nervously telling him it was from U.A. Outside of his room, Inko paced back and forth, clutching her hands.

Izuku sat in his chair, taking a moment to look at the letter. It was definitely from U.A. "Looks like it's time to see what they have in store for me," Izuku muttered.

He picked up the letter and ripped off one end of the paper. Inside was a tiny metal object, which Izuku then promptly removed and placed on the table. At that moment, a light came out and manifested itself into a screen in front of him.

"Welcome and say hello to me as a projection!" the man shouted.

Izuku instantly recognized who it was, yet it still surprised him slightly. "_All Might?_" Izuku wondered. "_I guess the database I got wasn't fake._" Izuku leaned back, no longer excited to see his former idol.

"Believe it or not, I have come to work at U.A this following year as a teacher," All Might said. He wore a gold stripped suit. "I'll make this as short as I can since you've been deemed a special case, but no matter!"

All Might rested both of his hands on his hips, seemingly staring at Izuku through the physical projection. "Even though you passed the written exam, you got below the required amount of points on the practical exam. Of course, that means you didn't pass…"

"I knew that," Izuku remarked to himself. The dwelling emotions inside of him began to grow. "I am being punished for doing something no one else would do." He said, doing his best to suppress the anger he felt towards the students that proclaimed themselves as heroes, only to run away at the first sight of danger.

The entire time, Izuku had been mentally arguing with himself over whether or not the decision he made at the exam was worth the sacrifice. He did not know how to feel about his actions. A part of him felt stupid for jeopardizing the mission, while the other repeatedly said it was the right thing to do.

All Might continued, "… If that was all there was to it."

Izuku's train of thought stopped. He looked back up at the screen and saw All Might resting both of his hands on his hips.

"The entrance exam you partook in was not graded only on villain points," All Might said. "How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?" He pointed towards the camera. "In my opinion, you were the one and only person who deserved to come out with a passing grade. But luckily there is a system that rewards points on people rescuing others."

"Rescue points," All Might paused, "they're given by a panel of judges. It's the other basic ability we at U.A look at!" The screen changed to a scoreboard that displayed _Izuku Midoriya _on the left_. _"You gained sixty points just from that. You pass." All Might said.

Izuku could not believe what he had heard. Unintentionally, his actions of rescuing the girl allowed him to progress. "I guess there is still some hope to all this," Izuku said, sighing out loudly.

"Come young Midoriya. Become a hero," All Might concluded. The screen turned off, leaving Izuku alone to soak in all of the information that was thrown at him.

"He really does represent the perfect hero," Izuku said, staring at the metal projector. "Yet even after all he said to me when we first met, I have nothing to answer back with."

Izuku bent to open the top drawer from his desk, revealing the note on where he wrote the League of Villains' contact information. "Time to notify him," Izuku said with a dry voice.

He dialed the number on the new phone Giran gave him before he left the hideout. He pressed it against his ear, waiting for a response.

"Who is this?" asked a distorted voice.

"It's exactly who you think it is," the boy said, carefully choosing his words. "I need to speak with the manager. It's important."

Behind the phone, Kurogiri stayed silent.

"I made sure this call wouldn't get traced back if anything were to happen. We're in the clear," Izuku reassured him. "This is involving the plan I mentioned earlier."

The static voice spoke up, still wary from the sudden call. "Understood, I'll forward you over."

Izuku rose his shoulder up to keep the phone in place so he could still hear. He then slid over a piece of paper and pencil to write as the phone line reconnected.

"What do you want?" Tomura asked harshly.

"Not even a hello?" Izuku replied jokingly. "You've really grown sour over these past few days, haven't you?"

"Shut up little boy," Tomura snapped back. "I don't have time for your little games."

"Oh? Knowing you, I thought you'd always be down to play," Izuku replied, smirking at the young man behind the phone. He lowered his pencil on top of the paper with a quick motion.

"I am only working with you because my master told me to do so," Tomura said. "Best hope that doesn't change."

Izuku shrugged. "I know that better than you do." He began to write. "Anyways, I called you because the plan has been set in motion. All that I ask is that you wait patiently, and not do anything stupid."

Tomura's voice growled through the speaker. "I hope your plan fails, and that everyone gets to see how much of a screw up you really are."

Tomura waited for a disgruntled response but was met with a chilling tone.

"Let's not resort to that kind of behaviour. You and I are on the same team are we not?" Izuku spoke out softly. "I'd rather not clean up after things that turn red."

"What did you say?" Tomura questioned loudly.

"Just go back and play with your building blocks," Izuku responded, ending the call. He exhaled out deeply, dropping the pencil from his grip, "No point of even getting anything out of that. I wonder what he's going to do now."

Izuku sat quietly by his desk, his eyes roamed across the stack of notebooks he asked his mother to buy for him earlier that day. "Time to get to work," he said optimistically.

* * *

The morning had dawned clear, with a gentle breeze that hinted the start of a new school year. Izuku set forth at daybreak to see the place he would go to every morning starting that day, excited to meet the classmates he would eventually plan to betray.

"Just the thought of seeing them find out who I am…" Izuku pondered, an enthusiastic look slowly creeped out of him. He then stopped himself at the sight of the school gate, slapping his face to erase any trace of his real side. "Alright, showtime."

As he ran to the building in front of him, three large gates appeared. Each written with a large numeral representing the year's grade. He managed to open the one on the left, quickly making his way to his designated classroom.

"Class 1-A… 1-A," Izuku said quietly, reading a pamphlet in his hands. He stopped beside another large door, "Guess this is it. This place's too big… Is it for accessibility?" He placed his hand on the door's handle. "_Let's see the merchandise,_" he thought.

The door slid open and revealed Iida yelling at several classmates to sit down properly at their desks. Izuku was not surprised to see the teen in front of him pass the exam. He felt the elite student vibe come off from Iida giving commands.

"I'm telling you that it is disrespectful to the upperclassmen and the people who made those desks," Iida shouted out. Some of the students hesitated but ultimately followed his instructions.

Izuku peered out of the door. "I see that he still has the same attitude from when I last met him."

At that exact moment, Iida noticed Izuku's presence. "You're…"

Izuku stepped inside, tapping his shoes in carefully. He ignored Iida's comment, only to find the boy approach him with a noble-like march.

"I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is- "

"I heard," Izuku interrupted him. "We met previously before as well. Nice to meet you again."

Iida stopped. "If I recall, you called yourself Deku… are you sure that's not just an insult?"

Izuku laughed, raising one arm up. "I suppose, but it means something special to me. I don't mind being called that," he said with an earnest voice.

"I see," Iida said. His thoughts came back to the day of the exams, remembering the actions Izuku took. "Regardless, you realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn't you?" he asked. "I had no idea… I misjudged you. I hate to admit it, but you are better than me."

Izuku rested his hand down, stunned at the sudden change from Iida's normal character. In his mind, he wanted to say Iida was right, but even he did not expect U.A to pass him.

"Oh, that curly hair!" a voice shouted behind Izuku. "The scary but not so scary looking face guy!"

Izuku turned around and saw Ochaco appear beside him, looking happy.

"It's sorta the nice person! You passed, just liked Present Mic said when I came to them!" Ochaco blurted out. "Of course you made it. What you did back there saving me was amazing!" She moved her hands up and down repeatedly on impulse.

"I just did what I thought was right," Izuku remarked. "Sorry for throwing you at the end."

Ochaco blinked. "It's ok, you got yourself hurt because of me. Nothing to apologise for… On second thought, I actually wonder if today's just the entrance ceremony and orientation. What is our teacher like?"

Izuku had to take everything in for a moment, the girl was speaking to fast even for him. Their conversation was quickly interrupted by a cocoon-like figure lying on the floor behind them.

"Go somewhere else if you want to play being friends," said a raspy voice inside a yellow sleeping bag. "This is the hero course."

Ochaco looked back, screaming in fright at the sight of the body appearing. The man inside unzipped a small part of the bag, taking out an unknown container, sipping the contents out of it.

All of the students stared at the man with shock, confused at what they had witnessed.

"S-Something's here?" Iida shouted inside his mind.

"Okay, it took you a few seconds before you went quiet," said the man. He fully unzipped the sleeping bag, revealing long black hair, with a large scarf covering his neck. "Time is limited. You kids need to be more rational." He stepped out of the bag, still holding it in one hand.

"_That's a teacher?_" Izuku asked to himself. "_Which means he's a pro-hero too? But I've never seen a hero who looked that worn out before._"

The man brought his attention to the entire class. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you."

All of the 1-A students were taken aback.

"You're our homeroom teacher?" Izuku asked.

"That's right," the man said. He took out a blue tracksuit from his sleeping bag. "It's kind of sudden but put this on and go out onto the field."

* * *

The class erupted at the explanation from Aizawa. "A quirk assessment test?!"

"What about the orientation, or the entrance ceremony?" Ochaco stressed.

Aizawa stood in front of Class 1-A, as his back slumped behind them. "You don't have time for such leisurely events if you're planning on becoming heroes," he said unenthusiastically.

Izuku heard several classmates groan in disappointment. Surprised at how unmotivated they were.

"What's important to understand, is that U.A's selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are," Aizawa continued. He turned his head to look at Ochaco. "That's also how the teachers run their classes."

He pointed to the ground below him, showing an outlined circle. "You kids have been doing these things since Junior High correct?" He took out his phone and showed them a list of exercises. "Specifically physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your quirks."

The class stood in silence, listening carefully to their teacher.

"The country still uses averages taken from students not using their quirks. That isn't rational," he said, as he tapped his phone. "Well… the Ministry of Education is procrastinating, but that doesn't mean there is nothing we at U.A can't do. You will now be using your quirks."

Izuku looked at the ground, uncertain of how his new-found quirk would help him in physical tests.

"Everyone, listen up," Aizawa announced. "The first test will be a softball throw. Iida, you're up."

"Yes, sir," Iida replied. He moved inside the marked area and caught the ball Aizawa threw towards him.

Aizawa nodded silently. "You can do whatever you want, as long as you stay in the circle."

Iida shifted back to the end of the line and rose his track pants up to his knees. Revealing a set of exhausts that came out of his calves. He took a throwing stance, "Recipro burst!" Iida shouted as the exhausts from his legs spewed out streams of hot air. He rotated his body several times, gaining speed with every turn, finally releasing the ball at the last possible moment.

It flew straight into the air, gradually falling down after a few seconds, smashing down into the dirt. Aizawa showed his phone screen to the students, revealing that the ball had flown just over six-hundred meters. Causing the group to gasp at the power Iida had shown them.

"Six-hundred meters? Seriously?" asked one boy with yellow hair. "This looks fun."

A girl with pink-coloured skin jumped up. "We actually get to test our quirks!"

"It looks fun, huh?" Aizawa questioned. "You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?" He lowered his head down to stare at the class with an eerie look. "All right. Whoever comes in last place from all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."

The entire class collectively drew their breath in sharply, upon realizing their teacher was serious.

At the corner of the school building, All Might stood watching. "Those kids really didn't get the luck of the draw," he said with an exasperated look.

Izuku watched as Aizawa took interest in him. The teacher noticed that he was the one of three students that remained unfazed from his comments.

"All eight tests?" Izuku thought. "And they are all only fitness tests?" He grabbed onto his wrist, staring at his hand's palm. "My quirk is completely useless here."

Aizawa focused his attention on the class. "Keep in mind, we're free to do whatever we want when it comes to the circumstances of our students." He pulled back the top of his hair, revealing bloodshot eyes. "Welcome to the U.A hero course."

All of the students tensed up from the challenge Aizawa presented them. With some starting to perform warm up exercises immediately.

"Last place will be expelled?" Ochaco protested. "But it's the first day of school! Even if it wasn't the first day, this is too unfair!"

Aizawa scoffed. "Natural disasters, large accidents, and villain attacks. Calamities of such scale whose time or place can't be predicted, occur all the time. The world is covered with unfairness… heroes are the ones who reverse those situations," he stated. "For the next three years, U.A will do all it can to give you the experience one after the other. So that when you come across those hardships, you are ready."

He lifted his finger, pressuring the students to come forward. "Overcome it will all you've got."

"_He's not wrong,_" Izuku thought for a moment. "_But the test doesn't make sense to me._"

"All right, the demonstration is over. The real thing starts now," Aizawa said. A hand rose up from the crowd in front of the man. Izuku stood waiting for a reply.

"What is your question Midoriya?" Aizawa asked, seemingly annoyed from being interrupted.

"Teacher," Izuku began. "Doesn't this test seem a little short-sighted?"

That took Aizawa by surprise. He lowered his phone, grinning at the boy's sudden questioning of his methods. The words came unbidden. "Are you implying to say this test holds no merit?"

"It does have a purpose," Izuku replied. "I completely agree with expelling those who do not show potential. However, this test doesn't account for almost all of the other aspects a hero must have."

Iida and Ochaco looked at the green haired boy, bewildered and afraid that he was challenging the teacher.

"To remove someone just because they can't run fast or throw things far enough, while they excel in everything else is pointless."

"Life is unfair," Aizawa reminded him. "These are basic skills any hero must overcome if they wish to serve the public. Or are you just worried that you'll be the first one to fail?"

Izuku did not respond, knowing that there was no right answer to the question.

"I see, in that case, show me your resolve. If you believe this test is pointless, prove to me that you are a capable hero," Aizawa commanded. "In the end, what really matters is that you're able to defeat your opponents. Show me what you can do." He expected Izuku to fall down in terror, but only found the boy walk out, moving towards him.

"Alright," Izuku said. "What are the rules?"

"Wait Dek-, I mean Midoriya. You shouldn't take on his challenge," Iida spoke out. "Just apologise to the teacher and face the tests. I know you're more than capable of passing."

Izuku placed his hand in between himself and Iida, signaling that he would be fine. "I am doing this to prove exactly what the teacher has pointed out. Otherwise, I am only complaining."

Aizawa placed his phone in his pocket. "_This kid is different from the rest,_" he thought. "_No hesitation whatsoever. But it means nothing if he can't back up everything he's said._"

The teacher instructed the class to move back away to a safe distance. "Midoriya, I should warn you that I will be taking this seriously. I will use my quirk if I have to."

Izuku nodded, taking the first offensive fighting stance Zero taught him. He prepared himself to confront the pro hero.

"We haven't had the opportunity to analyse your quirk yet Midoriya, which makes it a fair match in that aspect. All you need to do is land a solid blow on me and you win. You have two minutes, if you run out of time or are incapacitated, then you fail."

Ochaco stared at the upcoming fight between student and teacher. She was filled with a terrible sense of dread, there was no way she thought that Izuku could defeat a U.A teacher, a pro hero, nonetheless.

"Well then, once the timer starts, you may begin," Aizawa said. He tapped the phone inside his pocket. "Let's go."

At the sound of Aizawa's call, Izuku stood his ground, analysing the teacher's stance and equipment. He noticed that his opponent wore a large scarf but that it did not seem to be a stylistic choice. "I'm already getting the feeling that he can fight well at medium to short distances," Izuku muttered. "In that case, I'll have to rely on impulse."

Usually, Aizawa felt confident when facing down someone, but he felt something off from Izuku not moving at all. He met with the boy's eyes, only to find the resolve of an unnatural feeling he had not seen in years.

Aizawa did not have a moment to think as Izuku charged straight towards him. The teacher took a few steps back, removing the cloth around his neck. He launched both ends towards Izuku, forming two sharps strands. Izuku dodged in time, rolling to his side. He landed on his feet, springing back up to Aizawa.

"_He's got the agility, but let's see how he faces against this,_" Aizawa said to himself. He tugged back the steel woven cloth, making it move towards Izuku from the back.

Ochaco covered her eyes in fright at the thought of the boy getting hurt.

The cloth landed across Izuku's left leg, wrapping itself around it. "Gotcha," Aizawa said. He felt something grip his own leg but saw nothing. With his victory assured, he planned on showing the boy the difference in their strength. He pulled the cloth with all of his force, lifting the boy up from the ground.

None of the students were able to move as they saw Izuku get thrown across the field. His body twisted several times, bouncing on the dirt before coming to a stop. A visible pattern was seen scratched across the ground.

"Wait, look!" shouted Iida, redirecting the class's attention to their teacher. Aizawa lay on the ground, holding onto his head. The students stared in confusion from what they had seen. They looked back at Izuku, only to see him getting up slowly.

"What just happened?" asked a tall, lean student with black hair spiked downwards. "Why is the teacher hurt?"

"I don't know," Iida said quietly. "But this may have something to do with his quirk. I'm getting a similar vibe to what happened in the practical exam."

"What do you mean?" asked one girl.

Iida turned to face her and only saw a tracksuit levitating from the ground. He adjusted his glasses. "During the exam, I am fairly certain he defeated the zero-point villain. But it only happened when it attacked him."

Class 1-A stared at Iida with shock. "He defeated that thing?" they all collectively shouted out.

"Yeah, although I think it was done indirectly. Just as what we saw now," Iida pointed out. "If that quirk is what I think it is, I wouldn't want to fight him at all."

"Does that mean Deku could defeat Aizawa?" Ochaco asked.

Iida sighed. "I don't think so, considering he's up against a pro-hero." He gave the class a look. "Also please stop asking me all these questions. Now's not really the time."

Aizawa felt his sides and head hurt. "Son of a bitc-" He rose up to see Izuku throw a jab towards his face. Aizawa countered it with a swift up motion from his left arm, quickly throwing a counter kick at Izuku. The boy blocked it with both of his lower arms, taking a few steps back.

"_Was that his quirk?_" Aizawa thought. He felt his arms sting in the same location where he kicked Izuku. "_It has to be… In that case, I'll have to use it._"

Izuku saw Aizawa's eyes turn red, along with bright yellow goggles resting around the neck. Izuku finally understood who he was facing off against. He broke from his fighting stance to the surprise of his teacher.

"Eraser Head?" Izuku asked. He placed his finger on his chin. "It really is you… can I have an autograph?"

This momentarily stunned Aizawa. He was taken aback from Izuku's sudden change in character. Before he could respond, Izuku rushed forward, swinging his right leg at the man's head.

Aizawa saw the boy's foot quickly approach him. He moved his head back, slowly seeing the soles of Izuku's shoe pass by his face. The momentum caused Aizawa to fall down, but he quickly recovered by placing his hands on the ground, doing a backflip to regain his footing.

"You are one crazy kid," Aizawa responded, keeping his gaze focused on Izuku. "Looks like you know who I am. I've rendered your quirk useless."

"That doesn't change anything," Izuku said, breathing heavily. "I've got thirty seconds left. I can fight without it."

Aizawa smirked. "Then come." He positioned his fists by his chest and head. "Go beyond. Plus Ultra."

Izuku charged up another attack. This time sliding down, hoping to break the teacher's balance.

"Not good enough," Aizawa commented. He jumped into the air, throwing down one end of the cloth at the boy.

Izuku quickly pushed himself away from the projectile with his hands. He stood up and dangled a knife in the air. "Teacher, it's kind of dangerous to be carrying around these kinds of things at school."

Aizawa felt around the holster in his outfit, recognizing that Izuku had stolen it. "You can use it if you want. I told you that we do things differently at this school."

Izuku smiled, moving the knife around in his hands.

"But," Aizawa interrupted him. "Time is up." He raised his phone, showing the timer at zero seconds. "I would say you lost, but I honestly wasn't expecting you to be that skilled."

Izuku loosened his grip on the knife, placing it down on the ground.

The teacher had his suspicions. "Where did you learn how to fight like that?" Aizawa questioned. "That isn't something a normal high schooler would know."

"I was taught in martial arts and self-defense ever since I was little," Izuku lied. "I had to make up for what I lacked in."

Aizawa had trouble believing the boy. Izuku's fighting style felt familiar yet distant at the same time. "Who trained you?" he asked without pause.

Izuku staggered a bit, realizing he had shown too much. He showed a smile, "It was an older hero, but I only referred to him as master. I never really had the opportunity to ask, and as time went on, that was sort of the relationship we formed. I haven't seen him in a few years"

"That's an odd way of telling me you don't know, but regardless… you pass for now," Aizawa said, gesturing Izuku to move back to the group. "We're still continuing the tests, get ready," he shouted to the Class 1-A students.

It was an hour later when Aizawa came up to all of the students panting on the ground, who were all desperately trying to get air in their lungs. His shoulders slumped, seemingly unimpressed from their efforts. "Class 1-A," he said. "I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain everything, so I'll just show you the scores all at once."

"Oh, and by the way. I was lying about the expulsion."

The class blinked with their eyes wide open, silently staring at Aizawa.

Aizawa put out a conceited face, smiling at the students with a stupid grin. "It was a rational deception, in order to draw out the upper limits of your quirks."

"What?!" Class-A chimed in together, opening their mouths simultaneously.

A girl with black hair and a ponytail that spiralled out from the back placed her hands on her hips. "Of course that was a lie," she said moderately. "It should've been obvious if you just thought it through."

"Yaoyorozu, I don't think it was that easy to tell," said one classmate beside her.

"That was little nerve-wracking though, but I am still wondering how Midoriya was able to hold off against the teacher," another student replied, moving a large tail behind him.

Aizawa interrupted them. "With that, we're done here." The man turned to his left and began to walk away. "There are handouts with the curriculum and all of that in the classroom. When you get back, look over them." He stopped beside Izuku, "Midoriya. I'd like to have a chat with you. Please follow me."

The entire class got nervous, having witnessed their battle earlier.

Aizawa looked at the class one last time, "Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests. Prepare yourselves."

* * *

Izuku sat down in the teacher's room, calmly watching Aizawa walk over to him.

"Ok, I'll get straight to the point with you. Did you lie out of fear of everyone finding out what happened?" the man asked, sitting down on a chair. "I am aware of what happened because we get profile checks on students before we admit them. I've read the police report."

Izuku gripped his hands, to show nervousness. "I apologise about lying. It is as you say, I can't bring myself to terms about what happened."

Aizawa sighed, he rested one arm on the table. "Look, I am not here to say what you did was wrong. I understand what you had to go through, and I'm guessing that's where you learned how to fight like that."

Izuku stayed silent.

"Figured as much," Aizawa said. "From all of the students I've mentored thus far, you seem to display a different kind of demeanor. The fact that you can fight almost on par with me and utilise a quirk that presents a multitude of safety concerns… is something that is generally beyond U.A's regular capabilities. Granted that your head is still in the right place."

Izuku managed a small laugh, unsure if that was meant as an insult or compliment.

"You were the only one that has ever presented a counter-argument to my teaching methods, and then promptly not go back on your words. Here I thought kids these days were snowflakes," Aizawa commented. "Well at least some of them aren't I suppose."

"Teacher, if I may ask," Izuku brought his hands closer together. "You talk about rational decisions, but when we were at the field. You really were planning on expelling the person in last place. I didn't get the feeling that you were lying."

"I'll leave that up to your imagination," Aizawa answered. The boy really was something fascinating to behold at. The man stood up, looking at Izuku below him. "The main reason why I wanted to talk with you, is because I'm giving you a clear-cut warning."

Izuku was unsure what the teacher meant. He only saw the man take out an eye drop from his pocket.

"Everything you showcased today was an eye-opener for me," Aizawa said. "Your quirk, in particular, is unprecedented. It can prove useful if you use it right, but unbelievably dangerous if something goes wrong. I'm certain your classmates will be careful, but there is still only one thing bugging me." He paused, dripping a few droplets into his eyes. "Can you control it?"

Izuku looked defeated. "Well, no."

"Then that is a major problem. You will need to learn to control it some way if you wish to stay here, otherwise you will become a liability to the rest of the students… is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Izuku responded quietly.

"Listen, you've got a bright future ahead of you. But the power you wield will only bring hardships upon you." Aizawa exhaled, placing his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "You will only hurt yourself if you do not learn how to use it properly." He changed his tone to a more cheerful approach. "But that's why you're here. To learn from those who walked the same path as you… You're good to go now, I'll see you tomorrow in class."

Aizawa exited the room, leaving Izuku unsupervised.

"_That's where you are wrong Eraser Head,_" Izuku thought to himself. "_I am past the line of hurting. There is nothing left for me to feel. The only thing keeping me afloat is seeing the look of terror from those who are a stain on this society._"

**A/N: Unintended pun there! But anyways, this chapter is written much longer than what I generally do. Would you guys rather have me slow down the upload schedule and provide longer chapters? Or keep it around the same two to three-day thing? Ultimately the output will be the same, but some people have preferences over the other. **

**One thing to mention, in the next upcoming week or two, exams and several large projects are coming up. So expect a dip in content until the end of April. Afterward, I'll have a lot more time to write, even more than I have now. I just wanted to let you guys know.**

**Have a wonderful day!**


	14. Chapter 14: Heroes VS Villains

The room was damp and cold. In the darkness sat two bodies shackled to the wall, with their heads slumped downwards, seemingly lifeless. One attempted to move their legs but was stopped at the sound of a large metal door opening. In the center, a light turned on, revealing an empty room with the two heroes. Tomura stepped in from the entrance; he wore a disgruntled look but showed a short glimpse of excitement to the prisoners. Kurogiri followed suit right after the young man, closing the door behind him.

Bound hand and foot, Uwabami watched from the dust with disquiet in her golden yellow eyes. "I already told you that I don't know anything else," she told Tomura. "Please understand that you have already taken everything from us."

"I am tired of you complaining," Tomura replied. He moved closer to her, crouching down to meet with her eyes. "You are right that we have taken everything from you. Now you're just a quirkless piece of human trash. Not that it really matters to me… I only want to ask you one final thing before you can say goodbye to this world."

"Tomura, are you sure this is what the Master would have wanted?" Kurogiri asked with concern.

Tomura waved his hand, dismissing the man's comment. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said bitterly. "Master has already gotten everything he needed from them. It's best we don't have any witnesses."

Kurogiri stood silent, knowing it would be best not to anger Tomura after the call he had last night.

"Leave me here," the young man said, slowly turning his head towards Kurogiri. His eyes showed intense hatred, one that the bartender had not seen in a long time.

Kurogiri bowed. "As you wish," he said calmly, moving the handle down. "I will be waiting outside."

Tomura continued to watch until the door closed. He slowly twisted his neck back to the shackled heroes. "Do you know what is going to happen if you don't talk…" he began.

Uwabami stared in horror as the villain placed his hand on the boy's head beside her. "Please stop!" Uwabami begged. "Whatever you're going to do. Please stop!"

Tomura smiled. "Too late for that princess." He placed his last finger on the young hero. Gradually cracks started to form around the head, causing the boy to scream in pain, crying out for help. Tomura began to chuckle, watching the hero's body crumble into dust as the voice faded away.

"Tsuyoshi!" Uwabami cried out. Having witnessed the boy's death, she wailed around in panic, aimlessly thrashing her arms around.

"Be quiet," Tomura ordered with a rasping voice, yet the woman did not listen to him. Outside of the room, Kurogiri leaned across the wall, doing his best to occupy his mind on something else.

"I said, shut up!" Tomura raged. He brought his hand forward, expanding it in front of Uwabami. At the sight of the murderer's hand, she quieted down in fear of her life.

Tomura removed the hand that covered his face. He creeped out a smile from his cracked lips, "Now that is a little better Miss." He lowered his hand away from her, resting it on his legs. "I promise to let you go if you answer this one question."

Uwabami stared at Tomura, nodding her head frantically.

"Good!" Tomura grinned, "If only you had done that from the start… Now tell me all you know about how your attacker fought."

Kurogiri waited patiently for several minutes after the initial screams began, only to hear it once more. The door swung open suddenly, with Tomura scratching his throat aggressively.

"I suppose, disposal is in order?" Kurogiri asked cautiously.

"Do as you wish," Tomura told him, still showing an irritated look. "My job is finished with them."

Kurogiri waited until the young man left the hall. He stepped inside to find shackles covered in piles of ash.

* * *

Izuku tucked in his white button-down shirt into the dress pants he was gifted months ago. The boy frowned. "It's already gotten tighter, and the only decent thing I have to wear for this class." Izuku stepped out of the changing room and proceeded to walk over the class waiting outside by a large constructed city. "Doesn't really matter that they see me in this getup. At least it will get the job done for this exercise."

"Oh, Deku?" Ochaco asked, upon noticing Izuku appear from the gate. She held onto a large visor that covered her entire face.

"Hello," Izuku replied quietly. He knew that it was his opportune time to learn about the quirks his classmates possessed.

"That looks fancy! But so cool," Ochaco exclaimed. "Is that your hero costume?"

Izuku looked down at his outfit. "Yeah, sort of. Apart from a tracksuit, it's the next best thing I own. The costume department got delayed in finishing mine on time." He looked at Ochaco only to realise her outfit stood out too much.

Ochaco placed one hand behind her head, giving off a nervous expression. "I should've written down what I wanted… Now it ended up being a skin-tight bodysuit. It's a bit embarrassing."

"Midoriya?" asked a voice in the large group behind Ochaco. "Why are you wearing formal clothing? They told us to wear our hero costumes."

Izuku turned to see who addressed him. Only to find a boy with spiked red hair stare at him. Izuku squinted, turning his head somewhat sideways. "Wait, who are you again?" he asked apologetically.

The boy walked up to Izuku, laughing at the question. "Aww come on, you don't remember my name? It's Eijiro Kirishima." He raised his arm to greet Izuku, "Nice to meet you. Call me Eijiro."

Izuku looked at Kirishima hesitantly, ultimately shaking his hand back. "Likewise, Kirishima…" He paused. "By the way, I've just noticed, but aren't there only nineteen of us?"

"Now that you say it, that is kind of odd," Kirishima wondered. He turned to count the number of classmates present. "Doesn't Class 1-B have twenty?" he asked.

Iida stepped towards them in a costume that surrounded his entire body and head. "That is right. Apparently, not enough students passed the exam. And the criteria set for our class was too high for anyone else to join."

"But is it such a big deal?" Ochaco asked. "It shouldn't affect anything if we have one less person."

Iida stopped. "I suppose you're right. Only time will tell."

"Class 1-A, now it is time for combat training!" All Might announced. He wore a bright red costume, with a blue cape gently waving from the wind that passed by him.

The class quickly positioned themselves into two lines, waiting for further instructions.

"Sir!" Iida began. He rose his right hand up. "If I am correct, this is one of the battle centres from the entrance exam. Will we be conducting urban battles again?"

"No, this time it's going to be a little different. We're moving two steps ahead," All Might said, pointing two of his fingers up. "Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside. But if you look at the total crime rate percentage, indoor appearances from villains occur at a much higher rate. Things such as imprisonment, house arrest, and backroom deals. In this society filled with heroes, intelligent villains hide in the shadows!"

Izuku laughed to himself. "_He definitely hit that right on the mark,_" he thought until he suddenly lost all of his enthusiasm. "_I wonder if he has even recognized who I am… Did it really not matter to you at all?_"

All Might continued, "For this class, you'll be split into villains and heroes. You will fight two-on-two indoor battles."

A girl with a frog-like costume spoke up, "Even without basic training?"

"This is a real battle to understand those basics," All Might told her. He formed his hand into a fist, looking back towards the class. "However, the key this time is that there are no robots you can just beat up."

"How will wins and losses be determined?" Yaoyorozu asked as she repositioned her long black hair.

"Will the punishment be expulsion like with Mr. Aizawa?" asked another voice.

Iida still holding his hand up, immediately followed up with another question. "How shall we be split up?"

Sweat could be seen on All Might's face, yet he did not fluster. "I'll answer all of your questions, but only after I finish explaining everything." He took out a small piece of paper and began to read. "The situation presented for you is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout. The heroes' objective will be to dispose of it. That can either be done by catching the two villains or touching the nuclear weapon in the allotted time. The villains need to protect the nuclear weapon the entire time or catch the heroes in a similar fashion."

"_He mentioned groups of two… one person will be left on their own,_" Izuku thought. "_Pity the person who has to deal with that._"

"Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots," stated All Might, presenting a large box.

"They're being decided so haphazardly?" Iida asked underneath his mask.

Izuku placed his hands into his pockets and turned to face Iida. "Don't professional heroes often have to create makeshift teams with other heroes in different agencies? Seems like they're going for a similar approach to that."

Iida dropped his hand, understanding Izuku's point. "I see. The insight to look ahead… Please excuse my rudeness All Might." He bowed his head to the teacher.

"It's fine," All Might replied. "Let's do this quickly!" He moved one hand into the air, staring into the sky. "Once we pick out the teams, everyone who isn't chosen to fight first will head to the monitor room."

"Yes, sir!" said the group collectively.

"Oh, and from the recommendation of Aizawa," All Might chimed in. "Izuku Midoriya will be working as a one-man team." He looked at the boy he called out, "Sorry about that, but this is a handicap that has been placed on you."

Izuku could hear one of the students behind him speak up. "Is it because he fought against the teacher?"

"Probably his punishment for speaking out… kinda lucky for any team that is going to fight against hi-"

"Denki Kaminari," Iida stopped him. "I'd say it's the complete opposite. A punishment? Sure. But do you honestly want to fight him after what we've witnessed last week?"

Kaminari shrugged. "It's still a two versus one scenario. Combat strength isn't the only factor."

All Might spoke up. "Now, now. While young Midoriya might be alone. Aizawa has decided it would be most fair to place him in that position because of his strengths, we only have nineteen students after all.

The entire class glared at Izuku at the sound of him being declared the strongest.

"Alright, bring it on," Kirishima shouted. He pointed towards Izuku, "I'll be the one to take you down!"

"_Great,_" Izuku thought. "_Now everyone will want to beat the shit out of me._"

* * *

Inside the monitor room, several classmates tried to console Kirishima who sat on the ground embarrassed. Several others laughed at his previous statement.

"Looks like he won't be fighting Midoriya," said one classmate barely holding in his laughter.

Outside of the abandoned building, stood Midoriya, examining the place he was assigned to protect. He suddenly heard All Might approach him.

"Young Midoriya," All Might said. "Set up and get ready, you have twenty minutes. Once the timer runs out, the hero team will break in and the battle will start." He placed both of his hands on his hip, "Learn to think from the perspective of a villain. This is pretty close to a real battle. I am not really sure of your circumstances but go all out. Don't be afraid to get hurt, show the other team what it means to fight. If things go too far, I'll stop it."

Izuku stared at All Might. "When you say act like a villain. Am I able to act it out as a persona and take it seriously?"

All Might laughed. "Do your thing, as long as it doesn't threaten the lives of your classmates. We have these battle scenarios for a reason you know!"

Izuku put out a fake smile. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best!"

"Well, in that case, you may head in. I'll be briefing the other team. You'll be facing off against Tenya Iida and Ochaco Uraraka," All Might said. He turned to face the hero team and began to walk over to them. "Let's see what made Aizawa so interested in this boy," he muttered.

Izuku took out a paper and pen, quickly laying out the structure of the building, along with its entrances and exits from all floors. He made his way slowly to the bomb on the fifth floor. "Looks like I'll be at a complete disadvantage if I let them get too close to the bomb… but I also need to make sure they stick together at first. Knowing their quirks, I can't let Iida run off on his own. Otherwise, he'll get to the bomb faster than I do." He bit onto his lip. "Yet if I defend the bomb and only stay on the fifth floor, then I'll be completely outnumbered. I don't know if I'll have enough time to stop them in such an open area."

At that very moment, his eyes lit up. "Wait a minute," Izuku pondered, "All Might never said anything about not being allowed to move the bomb." He looked around the room, slowly letting out a grin.

The other students looked through several monitors that showcased every known position of the building. They watched with perplexity at Izuku's thought process.

"Wait a minute. He can really do that?" Yaoyorozu asked.

One of the doors opened, as All Might stepped in. He looked at Class-A, initially expecting the room to be filled with them talking nonstop. Only to find that the entire group of students were quiet, carefully paying attention to one of the screens.

"What's up everyone?" All Might asked. He startled the entire group, causing several students to fall on the ground. All Might looked down, offering his hand apologetically. "Sorry for scaring you guys… But what has gotten all of you so quiet?"

Awkwardly, Yaoyorozu rose up from the floor. "Sir, are the villains allowed to do these kinds of things?" she asked, pointing at one screen.

All Might looked and saw that the bomb had been relocated to the first floor and placed inside one of the small rooms. Along with windows on the fourth and fifth floor being covered by blue tarps.

"_Did he just hammer them in?_" All Might thought, surprised at the actions the boy took. He paused to look back at the girl. "Technically it is allowed, there are no rules preventing him from moving the bomb or using things inside the building. It's not like the hero teams were told where the bomb would be."

"Isn't that a bit risky?" Kirishima asked. He touched the tips of his red hair. "What if they find it right away?"

"I don't think they will," Yaoyorozu said. "I suppose it's his way of closing the gap. But it will still be a difficult battle for him. He'll be useless if they keep their distance."

Izuku hammered in the final nail to keep the tarp covered over one of the windows. He threw down the hammer onto the concrete floor and made his way to the second floor. Izuku took out the paper he had drawn on earlier. "One of my options were to fight Iida immediately but there is even a better plan for victory now."

"One-minute remaining until the match starts," broadcasted a large speaker. "One-minute remaining."

He quickly made his way down the flight of stairs arriving on to where he would plan to meet the hero team. "I'm relying on them to skip the first floor after they walked in through the only entrance. They'll likely not figure it out." He placed the piece of paper back into his pocket. "Considering their quirks, everything has been accounted for. I'll trick them into believing they had won."

Outside Iida and Ochaco stood by the building. They had noticed that the upper two levels had been covered with something. In turn not allowing anyone to see from the outside or inside.

"He's really thought this through," Iida observed. "He knows our quirks better than we know his."

"What do you mean?" Ochaco asked curiously.

Iida looked at her. "If you used your quirk to fly up there, you'd be able to see all of the floors. But now most of them are blocked off, preventing us from knowing where the bomb is."

Ochaco shifted her hands anxiously. "Deku is kind of scary when it comes to these kinds of things."

"Scary?" Iida questioned. "Maybe not scary, but he's always surprised me. I just can't read him at all."

"Ten seconds," announced the speaker.

Iida gestured Ochaco to follow him towards the entrance. "Alright, we follow the plan we went over. Our best bet is to split up once we meet him. He'll probably target me first, so you'll need to run up and find the bomb as quickly as possible."

A large siren was heard, signaling the start of the battle. "The heroes have 10 minutes to secure the bomb," the speaker declared.

They walked inside the building and found it covered with many halls, separating into small rooms. To their right, a stairway led up to the second floor.

"That's our way up," Iida said quietly. "I'll do my best to keep him occupied but I won't be able to do it for long. If it gets too bad, I'll have to sacrifice myself by hitting him. If it goes well, then we'll both be knocked out."

Ochaco nodded. "By the way, Iida, what if he is on the first floor?" she asked.

"I doubt it," Iida whispered. "If he made himself known here, then he'd be completely screwing up his positioning. We'd just be able to race up to the bomb and win. My guess is that he is waiting on the second or third floor."

"Ok," Ochaco replied back nervously.

They slowly made their way up the stairs. Only to hear a slow clapping gradually get louder in the dark hallway in front of them. Iida moved his right arm to the side, signaling Ochaco to stop.

"Heroes… congratulations on making your way over here," came a dry voice, its cold atmosphere was threatening in a way Iida and Ochaco had never felt before.

"You're here to win, after all, aren't you…?" In the distance, Iida saw a silhouette standing still, seemingly watching them with the intent to kill.

"Ochaco, he's blocking off the main hallway leading up to the next floor. Get ready," Iida told her quickly. Even though he knew he was facing off against Izuku, his body trembled.

"Now then, shall we start?"

Before they could react. Izuku sprang up from the shadows and threw a kick towards Ochaco. Iida jumped in time to block it, causing Izuku to move back. The boy with green hair calmly stared at them, before letting out a small smile. "What a gentleman you are Iida," Izuku said. "However I won't be letting either one of you leave."

Iida drew out a short breath and took a defensive stance. "Why did he just focus her?" Iida hesitated. "Does he not want her to advance instead of me? Or was it just a random kick…"

Izuku noticed Iida pause. "It's quite simple is it not? Do you want me to repeat what I just said," he taunted Iida, still grinning at him. "There's still so much for you to learn."

Iida suddenly felt Ochaco nudge his back.

"Iida, I have a plan. I think I know why he targeted me first. His maneuverability is considerably low when compared to yours. But in such a small confined space, it doesn't make that much of a difference. If he fights you here, he'll win."

Iida stood in silence still carefully watching Izuku.

Ochaco went on, "If he fights you, he'll catch up with me in no time. But if it's the opposite way around and we create an opening for you to pass through. Then Deku will never catch up."

Iida nodded slowly, "Ok, that plan makes sense, but are you sure you want to fight him alone?"

"We don't have a choice," Ochaco explained. "This is our best option of winning."

Izuku started to walk towards them slowly, with his hands down.

"I'll create an opening," Ochaco reassured Iida. "Don't worry about me, just run."

In his mind, Izuku had laid out the scenario perfectly. He was not able to believe how well everything went. "_And now just to show my aggression towards Iida and checkmate,_" he said to himself.

He ran towards his classmates, and lifted his right leg, aiming it towards Iida's side. In that short moment, at the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Ochaco run at him. His kick landed straight into her, causing her body to slam into the corridor wall. As he turned around to face Iida, his body slowly began to rise, not allowing him to chase after the boy with the engine quirk.

Iida sprang off at the opportunity and sprinted in the direction of the stairway leading upstairs. At the wall, Ochaco saw Izuku smile, noticing that something was not right.

Izuku gradually began to laugh, not being able to contain it inside anymore. His body continued to float, yet that did not concern him.

Several students in the monitor room sighed, upon realizing the hero team's mistake. All Might stared at Izuku, astonished at what the boy was capable of. "He actually fooled them," he said to himself. "But it's not over yet."

After a few seconds, Ochaco was no longer able to keep Izuku into the air, releasing him right as she threw up onto the ground.

The fall caused Izuku to land on his side. He felt something crack at the moment of impact. Izuku stood up slowly, covering his ribs. "You did me really good there, but in the end, it doesn't matter." He walked over to her, removing her ear piece and crushed it with his foot. "Now I suggest you give up Ochaco, otherwise things will not end well for you," Izuku coughed.

Ochaco looked up at Izuku, not being able to recognise him at all. She feared what he would do if she said no.

"Alright," Izuku said. "While Iida is running around trying to find the bomb, I'll have you forfeit." He looked down at Ochaco. "Are we clear on that?"

"Clear," Ochaco replied quickly. She did not know why Izuku was so confident in letting Iida escape until it had dawned on her mind what had happened.

The corners of Izuku's lips grew as he saw the alarmed expression from Ochaco. "Ah yes, I love seeing people's faces when they realise their mistakes. Truly spectacular," his voice rang out.

"It is exactly what you think, the bomb is on the first floor," Izuku said. "And now there is only one hero left." He turned to one of the cameras in the hallway. "Teacher, you heard her forfeit. Do I need to keep her in my custody?"

A voice appeared in his right ear. "Yes, young Midoriya. Her partner still has the chance of freeing her."

"What if I just knock her out?" Izuku inquired with a cold voice. "That doesn't seem to be against the rules."

"I-, uhm… that might not be the best idea," All Might replied back through his ear.

"I know it isn't," Izuku said. "But you were the one who said this is a real battle. From a villain's perspective, why would I keep a hero awake if I knew they could potentially escape and fight back?"

There was a long pause. "I guess you make a good point," All Might said. "Tell her to exit the building."

Ochaco stared in confusion as Izuku told her the situation. "Can you move?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ochaco said. "But jeez Deku, you are really scary as a villain."

Izuku made a surprised look, "Wait, really? I am?" he asked, blinking several times with his eyes wide open.

She stood up, placing one leg forward. "Deku… you're acting skills are something else." She paused, "Teach me sometime!"

Izuku stared at her with bewilderment, before she quickly ran down to leave. "_Well, I guess they wouldn't think I am an actual villain,_" Izuku thought. "_But I suppose I shouldn't have gone so overboard._"

Knowing that Iida would return any minute, Izuku walked down to the first floor and entered the room where he had hidden the bomb. It lay intact on the ground, completely untouched. Izuku put his hand over his hair. "Really glad this thing weighs almost nothing."

In the distance, Izuku could hear Iida frantically running down each floor.

"Oh shit, oh shit, god damn it," Iida shouted out. He speeded across each room, making his way down. "Midoriya got me… There was no bomb on the higher floors!" He made his final approach towards the first floor, as the buzzard was heard signalling the end of the battle.

Izuku stepped out of the room and found Iida sitting down on his knees, screaming with his hands up thrown into the air.

Class 1-A could not believe what they had witnessed. "Scary…" most of them said simultaneously.

"_Aizawa, you really weren't kidding when you said to give him a handicap,_" All Might thought. "_What the hell was that? The young man didn't even have to rely on his quirk._"

Izuku walked out of the building with Iida and saw Ochaco waiting for them.

"Next time," Ochaco said restlessly. "We're making sure you're never the villain again!"

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Leave a favourite/follow if you'd like to support the story. And a review/comment so I can see what you think of it. Thanks for reading as always, love you guys.**


	15. Chapter 15: Preparations

Izuku walked over to the monitor room with Iida and Ochaco. He opened the metal door to find All Might and the rest of the class waiting for them.

"Welcome back!" All Might shouted. He raised his hand to show a thumbs up. "Let's begin the review for the first battle. We're making it short and clear, we still have another four of these to go."

He walked up to the monitor showcasing the statistics from the first battle. "In this battle, it was the villain's victory, which would be young Midoriya. Well, it goes without saying that the most valuable person was him."

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised it turned out that way," Kirishima said. He looked at Izuku, showing a slight grin. "As expected of you of course. But don't count your luck yet when you face me."

"He says that but he was crying just a bit early about not fighting you," a voice said behind the red-haired boy. "Not to mention that he won't even fight you."

Kirishima turned around with an embarrassed look. "Hey Asui! Don't tell him that!" he said with a small panicked voice.

All Might cleared his throat. "Ahem, I'd advise we continue. You'll have all the time to talk later."

"Yes, sir!" Kirishima bowed straight at the teacher to apologise for his rude behaviour.

"No matter," All Might said as he directed the class to Izuku. "Young Midoriya won the battle, but apart from his victory. The other two didn't do so bad as well. Can anyone explain what happened on both sides?"

Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "Yes, Mr. All Might. While Midoriya's plan worked out in the end, it was mostly reliant on the chance that Iida and Uraraka would not search the first floor. In order to account for that, he succeeded in fooling them by making the hero team believe the bomb was on the higher floors. However, the hero team had the right idea to split up in order to utilise their numbers advantage. Their only mistake was not to search everywhere first."

All Might stood in disbelief from the girl's answer, "_Sh-She said more than I expected." _He looked at Yaoyorozu, "While there some other things you could have explained, that was still correct!" He said while giving out a thumbs up. "All right everyone, let's change locations and start the second match. Go about with this training after thinking about what was mentioned."

All Might paused. "And Midoriya, make your way to the nurse's room to get yourself checked."

* * *

"_That was a lot more fun than I expected," _Izuku said to himself, gripping onto his bandaged side. "_I didn't get to see all of my classmates' quirks… But it's only a matter of time until I figure out our next move._"

Izuku made his way to the classroom door, and upon opening it saw most of Class 1-A waiting for him.

"Oh, Midoriya's here!" Kirishima said loudly. "I didn't really get to say much earlier, but good work!" He ran over to Izuku along with several others. "Man, I don't know what you were saying during the match, but you sure as hell proved yourself."

Another classmate in his school uniform spoke up. "I can't believe you fought evenly against Iida and Uraraka, and then proceeded to actually win!"

"You definitely got that right Sero!" the pink haired girl exclaimed. She turned to face Izuku with her hands facing up towards her chest. "You did a good job preparing and fooling them!"

"I can see why Mr. Aizawa made you fight alone. You really set the bar, the rest of us had to give it our all too," said a boy with large lips. "But like Kirishima said earlier, there will be a lot of people looking at you now."

Kirishima laughed, afterwards pointing to the classmates around him one by one. "We're all going over training together right now. This tall guy behind me with the pointed down hair is Hanta Sero."

"I'm Yuga Aoya—" said a boy with dazzling eyes. He rested his chin on both hands, smiling creepily at Izuku, but was interrupted by the girl with pink hair and skin.

"I'm Mina Ashido!" the girl said abruptly, waving her arms in the air excitedly. "You did a good job fooling them!"

The girl Izuku had seen wearing a frog costume, appeared behind Ashido. "I'm Tsuyu Asui," she said calmly. "Call me Tsu."

The classmate with big lips stepped up, smiling. "I'm Sato! And this little guy below me is Mineta."

Izuku looked down to see a boy with purple ball-shaped hair. "_Oh god. Just from the way he looks, already gives me a bad feeling,"_ he thought.

From the corner of the room, one student with a beak and bird-like head closed his eyes, annoyed at what he saw. "You're too loud," he muttered, not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"Tokoyami!" Iida shouted. He shifted over his way to the classmate, pointing out where the boy sat. "That desk is not a chair. Get off of it immediately." He started waving his arms up and down.

A girl beside them with audio jacks coming off her earlobes stepped in. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?" she asked.

"Wh-?!" Iida shouted, but was stopped by another classmate.

"What's with those hands, anyway?" asked a boy with blonde hair. A large tail protruded out of his back, arching up.

Iida looked at the floor with a dejected face. "You people…" He mumbled, slumping his shoulders down. Before quickly recovering and pointing at them with a serious expression. "I cannot condone that kind of disrespect to the desks. Especially to the great men and women who are now our upperclassmen!"

"You're too loud," Tokoyami repeated.

The entire class turned to look at Iida, chuckling at the confrontation that took place.

Izuku stared at them, only smiling a little. For a moment he felt warm until the one thing left inside of him reminded Izuku of where he stood. The boy's smile faded, knowing he could never get close to them.

* * *

"Remind me again of what the boy is up to?" Giran asked with a curious tone. He grabbed the glass from the counter, stirring the ice inside.

"He infiltrated U.A Academy from what I gather," Kurogiri said. "Taking it from his own words, he is determining the best candidates for us and when we will launch the attack."

"Oh? So, he is running it himself?" Giran asked as a grin could be seen underneath his glass of rum. To his left, a fist smashed against the table, causing several drinks to almost tip over. Giran shifted his eyes to find Tomura, enraged from what he said.

"I suggest you do not play your little word games," Tomura warned.

Giran scoffed at Tomura's threat. "You are the last person I should be worried about… Also, please enlighten me on how my death would benefit the League of Villains."

Tomura stared at Giran, still giving off a scornful look.

"Exactly," Giran noted, placing the glass back down. "Regardless of the situation, I know where I stand."

Kurogiri sighed. He looked over towards the man on the opposite side of the table. "Apart from you just coming here to drink. Was there another reason for your visit today?"

"Actually yes, however, I would advise this guy leaves," Giran said, pointing at Tomura. "Otherwise things might get a little messy."

"What do you mean?" Tomura asked. He squinted his eyes through the hand blocking his face. "I'd rather stay here."

Giran chuckled lightly, but Tomura did not so much as smile. "Just a warning. Do what you want," he said while taking out a cigarette pack. Behind the bar, Kurogiri watched the tension unfold itself. He relaxed his shoulders and went to dry off a few glasses he rinsed off earlier.

"You're holding off your emotions better," Giran said, to the surprise of the young man.

Tomura stared forward with his chin resting on one hand. He did not move his head. "Are you mocking me?" he asked with a level tone.

"Well I would say no," Giran told him. "Apart from some little hiccups here and there, I would say there is progress if I compare you now from what you were in the past." He placed the cigarette in between his lips and burnt the end of it with his lighter.

Tomura stayed silent, contemplating how much he hated the man.

Giran puffed out a slew stream of smoke. "If I were you. I would take the time to prepare and work on assisting where you're needed." He took out the cigarette and held it in front of him. "That is what the boss would like to see. Otherwise, nothing will be achieved."

"I am aware of what needs to be done," Tomura declared. "That isn't something you need to tell me."

"You may be saying that," Giran said. "But your actions speak otherwise." He placed the cigarette back in his mouth and leaned back across the wooden chair. "The reason why I warned you earlier is because your friend Midoriya is coming, along with some other members."

Tomura's eyes opened at the announcement of Izuku arriving so suddenly. He placed one hand over his throat, slowly beginning to scratch it with his nails.

"He wanted to tell me something, but now if I think about it… He probably needs to talk to you anyways," Giran noted. "Best to wait a few more minutes until he's here."

Tomura tapped his finger on the bar counter. "_Whatever,_" he thought. _"Let's play the game his way for now, and then figure out what to do_."

"Speak of the devil," Giran said loudly upon noticing the entrance door swing open.

"Hello Mr. Giran," Izuku said with a smile. "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other." Behind the boy, Toga and Dabi appeared. "I take it you've been doing well?"

"So far it's been alright. Relaxing after a long day of work," Giran replied cheerfully.

"Well, that's good to hear." Izuku walked over to Giran and sat down beside him. "Sorry to bring this up to you on such a short notice, but I think it might be time for an upgrade. It will be kind of difficult to wear it as time goes on."

Giran laughed. "Already getting too small? You youngsters grow up way too fast."

"I appreciate you coming here," Izuku said earnestly. "It was difficult to convince someone of leaving the house on a weekend." He glanced over at Tomura, noticing the young man ignoring him.

"Well, what kind of news do you bring?" Giran asked. "Surely something interesting for the old man to hear."

Izuku smiled wanly. "I've already gotten information on most of the students who attend U.A." He leaned close and lowered his voice. "Some of them might interest you. I though you'd best know first." He handed over a small note to Giran. "Consider it a gift from me."

Giran placed the piece of paper in his back pocket and stood up. "I suppose it's time for me to head out. Send me the proportions on the phone when you get the chance, and good luck on the operation."

Izuku waved goodbye to the man before addressing Tomura. "I need to discuss with you our next plans," he said coldly. "Preferably alone."

Tomura pulled back his arms against the table. "Follow me."

Izuku trailed behind the one man he knew he could not trust. He had little doubt that Tomura was going to treat him as an equal. As they approached the same corridor Izuku had walked through many times, he felt something was different about the place.

"You've been sort of quiet lately," Izuku noticed. "Change of character?"

Tomura continued walking through the dimly lit hallway. "Would it make you happier if I said yes?" he asked with a low voice.

Izuku placed a finger on chin, lifting an eyebrow. "I just find it odd with the way you've been acting, that's all." He rose his arms up to stretch, while studying the concrete walls around them. "Why here?" he asked abruptly.

"It doesn't matter where we stay," Tomura replied. He stopped moving and turned to face Izuku. "As long as it's just the two of us, we might as well do it here." The hand covering his face blocked off the animosity he felt towards the boy in front of him.

Izuku looked at the young man curiously, shrugging at the answer he was given.

"What did you want to tell me?" Tomura inquired. "Surely you didn't come here to play around."

"As a matter of fact, I did not come here to have fun," Izuku explained. "I came here to tell you of an opportunity that may benefit the league very soon."

Tomura gave him a stony stare. "Have you finally decided to become useful?"

"Useful? Oh, surely," Izuku replied negligently. "Hear me out. I'm giving you exactly what you wanted right from the start. In a few days, the class I have joined will be training at an outside facility. Far away from anyone else that might possibly disturb our work. You want to prove the world that people live in a false sense of security? To oust those who fake their real intentions? Then this is our first chance to send a real message. But on the other side of the coin, we might have a problem with All Might showing up."

"All Might," Tomura muttered quietly, scratching his throat audibly. "If it's All Might, then it only makes it better for us."

Izuku sighed. "I understand the grand picture, but I do not think it would be wise to throw down all of our cards at once. Especially against the hero who has proved time and time again why he is the greatest." He placed his hands together, expressing a delighted look. "Instead of doubling down on capturing the students and attempting to kill All Might, why don't we test them first? Show the world how weak the best hero academy in the world is, completely unable to defend its students."

"And why should I listen to you?" Tomura asked with displeasure. "I am in charge of managing our forces. I will decide what happens with or without you."

"No, no, no," Izuku said coldly. "You forget that I hold all of the crucial information. I still haven't told you what day and time U.A will be going, and where off to specifically. If you choose to dismiss my advice, then I will not tell you anything. _Master_ only wanted us to work together, no?"

Tomura glared at Izuku scornfully. "You do not bring him up," he cautioned.

Izuku gave out a wry smile. "Sure thing. But first—" He gestured Tomura to look behind him, only for the man to find a dark figure standing at the end of the corridor. It slowly walked towards them, each step echoing throughout the long tunnel.

"I appreciate you coming at my request," the voice spoke out. "It is only a matter of time until both of you begin the dream I have always longed for."

Upon realizing who it was, Tomura took a few steps forward. "Master, why did you call him here?"

"Oh? Finally showing your true colours with that being your first question…?" All for One asked. His black visor towered over Tomura, reflecting the hand that covered the young man's face. "No longer afraid to speak up?"

Tomura stayed silent, staring into the mask.

All for One frowned from hearing no response come out. "_I see that it is still too early for him_," he thought. He turned to face Izuku, "I called Midoriya here because of what he told me. And I have decided that his plan holds more benefit to us."

Before Tomura could respond, All for One interrupted him. "Tomura… I do not want to hear you complain after you've done nothing so far." He moved his arms to the side and brought his palms upward. "What has been proposed to me, benefits both of you regardless."

"I have recently been experimenting with a few weapons that may aid you," All for One continued. "If All Might will appear as you say Midoriya, then these tools will definitely be of use." A smirk formed behind the mask. "A tool designed to fight against the number one hero."

"If I may ask All for One, will it be sufficient to replace most of our members for the attack?" Izuku asked.

"That is what you requested," All for One stated. "And that is what will be given."

Izuku smirked at the news given to him. "_Splendid_."

**A/N: Build up for the next few chapters. We're moving onto the first major conflict, so I am excited to have that happen. I've already planned out a few things and I hope with the way everything is being set up… that it will lead to some very crazy things. Good crazy things. Because of exams coming up soon I'll be taking a break so that I can focus on that. As well as just refresh my mind so I don't start to write a lot worse. It's been a crazy month, but I do intend on finishing this story.**


End file.
